Starry Night
by LadyStellaSkye
Summary: A family; One orphan daughter, one Greek mother, one Marine father. Nami; A Mary-Sue with a deadly twist. Stella; Their Athena escaped from the devil. Mac; Their guardian, bound to protect and save. SMacked, Dantana, DAng. Rather than a sequel (which is disjointed after a year's hiatus) I will have a series of shorter/oneshot pieces instead. Thank you and love to followers!
1. Starting on Square One

Starry Night

Starting on Square One

Steam rose from the coffee cup in Stella's hand. Her other hand was in her coat pocket as she walked down the street briskly. It was her day off and she'd taken the opportunity to wander the city in blue jeans and a black long sleeved shirt.

"Come on, one apple's like, what, fifty cents?!" An angry girl's voice shouted, catching Stella's attention. She was wearing black jeans and flip flops and a tight, black, sleeveless hoodie. A brown shoulder back rested on her right hip and bounced when she moved.

"Get out of here, you lousy little pickpocket!" The man shouted.

"One apple-just one-and I'm gone!" The young girl persisted. She couldn't have been older than twelve, tops.

"Go back to the orphanage, goddam scavenger!" The man grumbled, turning for a second.

"Fine!" She shouted back, storming away. She kept her head down as she rounded the corner and headed into an alley.

"You're pretty good." A strong voice called from behind her. "I didn't even see you pocket it. Let me guess, when you slammed your hands on the side boards you hooked one with your fingernail and slipped it in your pocket when he turned."

"You know that trick?" The girl asked.

"I know it's one hundred percent St. Basil's." Stella said firmly, her brows matching her frown. "If you're a basilisk, what are you doing here? Bumming fruit no less."

"You know how it is, take what you can get and what you can't get, take." The girl shrugged somewhat sadly, fingering her trophy. "Can't be picky these days, you know?"

"I know, I was there, but this isn't the answer to anything but the question, 'Can I have a criminal record?', so give me the apple..." Stella looked at the girl with caution. She had long black locks tied in a low-ponytail and jagged side bangs that hung around and over her dark eyes. They appeared black at first glance, and more reflective than mirrors, but when one got closer, their auburn color was crystal clear. It was an amber color mixed with red to create a light vermillion.

"At Basil's, they all called me Stella, but that's not my name. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I think it was Nami." She smiled, shrugging.

"Nami, that's a nice name." Stella said sweetly, her maternal kicking in for the young girl. "I'm Stella Bonasera."

"Hi..." She smiled gently. "Miss Stella."

"Nami-"

"There she is!" A gruff man's voice shouted.

"Get back!" Nami shouted, pushing the older woman back out of the alley. She grabbed a gun from her shoulder bag and took aim at the metal ladders on the building lining the back street. The sun gleamed off the polished metal of the browning nine mil. Four pulls of the trigger and deadly aim brought the fire escape crashing down on top of the dumpsters and in front of the men.

"Nami?!" Stella called worriedly, struggling against the fleeing crowd. "Nami!"

"Dammit!" One man cursed, hitting the mass of bars and rungs.

"When are you guys going to give up?!" Nami shouted to him.

"When you're dead!" He spat back, trying to reach her through the bent bars of the ladder that blocked him.

"Good luck with that." She scoffed, wiping the gun off with a cloth and throwing through the bars. It landed on the concrete with a metallic clink. "You won't be seeing me."

"When we catch you you're as good as dead!" He yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before." She sighed.

"NYPD, please calm down!" Stella repeated for the fourth time to the flustered man. His wig was slipping onto his left ear and he WOULD NOT stop shouting to "Don't take my brain!", and aliens and such. "Sir, there are no aliens, please calm down!"

"They're coming for us!!" He belted, running off.

"Alright-y then." Stella sighed to herself.

"What's his problem?" Asked a familiar voice.

"Nami!" Stella whipped her around to see the young girl standing with her hands in her jean pockets. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay, Miss Stella." Nami said quietly with a small smile.

"I heard gun shots, and so did everyone else..." Stella looked at the crowd briefly then turned back to Nami. "What happened?"

"I-"

"Stella!" Mac called from behind the tape as he ducked underneath, kit in hand. "I got a call about there being gun shots!"

"Hey Mac!" Stella waved her friend over, putting her hands on Nami's shoulders. Nami looked at the man skeptically before her gaze came to rest on the badge attached to his hip. Her eyes widened before they skidded from the police cars to his kit. Her shoulder only twitched once before she tore away from Stella's grip and took off down the alley again. "Nami!"

"Who's that kid?" Mac frowned, jogging to her.

"She was in the alley when I heard the shots!" Stella told him breathlessly as the two went to follow the girl.

"Stella, I don't see her." Mac said rhetorically.

"Where could she have gotten to? Where'd she go?" She frowned.

"Did she tell you anything?" Asked Mac.

"She's a basilisk!" Stella snapped. "She's from St. Basil's!"

"St. Basil's?" Mac turned to her sharply with worry.

"Yeah, she's a basilisk. Any one in Basil's knows that if you're over the age of ten chances of you being adopted are one in a million, so if you're not adopted by age ten you're a basilisk." Stella explained from her personal memory of being a basilisk. "I was one."

"Do you think she went back to St. Basil's?" Asked Mac.

"We should try there first, though she's probably smart enough to know not to go back there yet."

"It's worth a try." Mac shrugged. "I'll drive."

"Why do you get to drive?"

"Because if you drive we'll break the sound barrier."


	2. Omens, Good and Bad

Omens, Good and Bad

Stella slammed on the breaks as they arrived at the orphanage. The giant stone building had cracks and bricks missing from the front. The shadow cast reached the truck and hit Stella's cheek. The light hit her cheek bone and contrasted with the shadows. She and Mac got out and slammed their doors. Stella's heels clacked on the sidewalk as she walked briskly to match Mac's longer strides. Mac himself pushed the heavy wooden door open and let his partner go first like the gentleman he was. He let it creek closed behind him.

"Excuse me!" Stella called into the empty chapel.

"Can I help you?" One woman asked.

"Yes ma'am, we're from NYPD and we're looking for a girl with black hair and amber eyes. She said she was a basilisk known as Stella." Stella explained firmly.

"We don't have any girls by that description here, and we certainly don't call our children basilisks!" The woman snapped.

"I was a basilisk!" Stella protested. "And if she does show up, under any name, please let us know."

"I will." The nun nodded courteously.

"Thank you, sister." Stella nodded and spun on her heel.

"We'll be in touch." Mac finished, following her out.

"Mac, if she didn't come back here it means she's on the run in the city and who knows where doing who knows what." Stella murmured quietly. "Basilisks know the city, Mac, she could be anywhere."

"Then we'll start with abandoned buildings; places she could go unnoticed. I'll have Flack put out an alert." Mac said, touching her arm. "Don't worry, Stell, we'll find her."

"I hope so, for her sake."

"I don't see anything besides a busted fire escape." Danny sighed to himself. "You find anything?"

"Nothing. If that girl was here she's good at disappearing." Lindsay frowned, holding up another swab sans blood. "Even the gun's been wiped down."

"Didn't Stella say she didn't even know who fired the shots?" Asked Danny.

"Yeah, but what kind of twelve year old girl carries around a gun and knows how to steal apples and conceal evidence?" Lindsay asked with large doe-brown eyes.

"Sadly, this is New York, people just know that stuff now." Danny paused and chuckled. "I bet Stella knew how to do it."

"Come on, Stella?" Lindsay smiled slightly, not able to picture the Statue of Liberty, symbol of justice herself, pickpocketing.

"Yeah! I bet she knew all the tricks. She's slicker than most people know." Danny pointed out, remembering his first meeting with Stella.

"_Stella Bonasera. Danny Messer." Mac introduced. _

"_Hi." Stella smiled, shaking his hand. _

"_How you doin'?" He asked quietly with his accent. Stella was a beautiful and slightly intimidating woman as she stood with her hands on her hips. She was a tall, lithe, Greek woman with a police badge, gun and clear, sharp green eyes. "You're my boss, now, huh?"_

"_Don't worry, Messer, you'll fit right in." She winked. _

"_That so?" Danny asked, feeling better already. _

"_Yep, so long as you let me do what I do." She smirked. _

"_Leave Stella be when she gets going, and you'll be fine." Mac repeated, trying to assure the young man of himself. _

"_Yes sir." Danny chuckled. _

"_Also, I suggest you work on your street skills. You'll need them to keep up with me." _

"She actually said that?" Lindsay laughed.

"You bet she did, and she had me shakin' in my cowboy boots when she did." Danny cringed.

"You don't wear cowboy boots." Lindsay quirked an eyebrow.

"I could. You know I'd be sexy in 'em!" Danny struck a pose by thrusting his hips to the right and putting his hand behind his head like a model. Lindsay doubled over laughing. "What? You can't take my shining handsomeness?"

"I can't take your shining sense of humor!" She laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Danny, you kill me."

"Come on, Montana, back to work. You can fantasize about my perfect body later."

"Flack, put out an alert on a young girl with black hair, amber eyes, approximately twelve years old and on foot. She could be anywhere and she was at the shoot out this morning." Mac said into his cell phone.

"You got it, Mac. How's Stella?" Flack asked from his end.

"She's fine, just wants to find this kid." Said Mac.

"Better not keep her waiting, I'll get right on it." Flack said before flipping his phone closed and picking up his radio. "This is Dt. Flack, be on the look out for a young girl with black hair, amber eyes, approximately twelve years of age and last seen wearing black."

"Okay, Flack's put out an alert, we'll find her soon enough." Mac said to Stella, who was fidgeting while looking out her window.

"I know, it's just... " Stella bit her lip as she turned back to him. "I can relate to her. I was on the street same as she was. Now, she ran and we still have no idea why."

"What happened between the shooting and when I got there?" Mac asked seriously, turning around a corner sharply.

"Nothing really, she just saw you and bolted." Stella felt her inner lightbulb go off. "That's it! She's not running from us, she's running from the police! She's a basilisk, she has rights to go wherever whenever she wants. But if a basilisk is found by the police in the city without supervision they're sent back to the orphanage and dealt with by the nuns. She probably just got out, the last thing she wants is to be dragged back there."

"Then why did the nun deny her being there at all?" Mac frowned.

"Basilisks practically don't exist unless they're being adopted. Something about the orphanage not needing trouble makers being dragged back and forth for the good people to see. They want the kids to be adopted, and the basilisks are the failures of the orphanage." Stella said with her hand in the air. "After so many reported incidents with a basilisk, they're sent balanced between the orphanage and the foster homes. They don't want the basilisks infecting the potentially adoptable kids."

"Stella... " Mac started, knowing Stella herself went from foster home to foster home to Basil's again.

"I want to find this kid before she gets herself killed." Stella said gravely before being cut off by her cell. She fished it out of her coat pocket and looked at the number. "Lindsay?"

"Stella, I found absolutely nothing in that alley. She's completely vanished, like she was never even there." Lindsay said to her cell phone.

"Okay, well we're heading back to the lab to see if we can track her some other way." Replied Stella.

"Meet you back there."

"Adam, have you found anything?" Mac asked the younger man.

"Nothing, not even the satellites can find her, so she must be inside a building and staying put." Replied Adam.

"Alright, Flack's withdrew the search. She wasn't seen anywhere." Mac sighed heavily.

"We also don't have any idea what her real name is. I did some research, and I found these." Danny said, handing Stella a file folder.

"These are all adoption forms. They're all signed by different people. Charlie Brown, Stella Skye, Nike Bonasera?!" Stella squinted at the papers strangely. "The last one is signed by Nami...no last name."

"I found them all in a database of children's orphanages. These four are signed with fake names, all of them with a different signature, but they all belly flopped. After the papers were signed by both the family and the kid, they disappeared with her and they never saw her again." Said Danny. "I figure it's all the same kid."

"I've seen this before, it's called faking. Only the basilisks that don't want to be adopted do it. They sign the document with a fake name and then they take the documents and everything they have and vanish. The orphanage just tells the family that they've been sent to a foster family." Stella explained to her friends, all of whom had sad expressions. "Don't look like that, it won't help anyone."

"Hey guys, someone showed up at PD. A certain black haired, amber eyed girl who won't give her name." Flack said as he dashed into the room, hanging off the door frame.

"That's probably her. I guess she decided to find us."

"There she is." Flack pointed to the young girl, hunched over on her knees for support. She was wearing a white zip-up vest under a black sports jacket with black cargo pants. Her hair was in a tight, pony tail tied at the back of her head. Her bangs were cut to leave a few wisps in front of her left eye with longer pieces falling against her left cheek until they reached her collar bone. The part that rested over her right eye left a few locks the length of her cheek on the left. Her red-amber eyes were still sharp and clear, but they were also a bit glassy.

"Poor girl. Wherever she goes it can't be too good for her to be running around like this all the time." Stella shook her head.

"Where is it she goes?" Mac asked with a set jaw.

"She probably has a safe haven somewhere she knows no one will snoop around." Stella said, twitching the corner of her mouth.

Nami let out a yawn and cracked her back. She shook her head like some kind of feline and focused her gaze once more.

"Poor girl's trying to stay awake." Stella looked at Mac instinctively and met his eyes. He looked down at her with sympathetic blue as she looked up at him with pleating green. He could see his reflection in them, through the question. Through the desperation for the girl she saw herself in. "Mac?"

"Go ahead Stella. Flack and I will wait right here." He said comfortingly, putting a hand on her arm and opening the door for her.

"Hey... " Stella started softly, sitting down next to the girl. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"I'm sorry I ran." Nami started with an equally soft voice, clasping her hands together. "I didn't have a choice. I'm the oldest basilisk, at the time, believe it or not, and I just can't go back there. I don't have the right to go back to them, the kids. I have someone I have to protect."

"Who? Who do you have to protect?" Stella asked, putting her hand on Nami's back.

"A man who died a long time ago." Nami mumbled - sounding a lot like Mac - gazing at nothing.

"Who?" Stella asked again.

"You were a basilisk." Nami said, turning to Stella. "Did you ever have a father?"

"No, I didn't." Stella sighed. "I have good friends now."

"I bet." Nami smiled with Stella in the direction of Mac and Flack, who waved and smiled. "I had a dad, for about six months. He was killed by the same men who are now chasing me."

"It's going to be alright, sweetie, we can protect you." Stella said optimistically, looking at Nami's cinibar eyes.

"No, you can't. I think... I think they're going to come after you."


	3. The Protector and The Protected

The Protector and The Protected

"Hi Nami." Mac greeted with a smile.

"Mac Taylor." Nami smiled, turning to face him fully. "The famous NYPD detective and CSI. Hero of the city."

"Don't try and change the subject." Mac chuckled at her cunning as she reminded him of Stella. "If you're in danger we need to get you protection."

"You need to protect Miss Stella!" Nami interrupted firmly. "I don't need protection, you should be worrying about her!"

"Detective Bonasera can take care of herself." Mac sighed, the words coming more from his memory of her saying it to him and less from his own will. "We need to worry about you right now."

"You should be worrying about your partner!" Nami said with a raised voice, putting her finger to the table forcefully for emphasis.

"It was you, who fired the shots in the alley, wasn't it?" Mac asked, changing the subject himself.

"I wiped off the gun so it wouldn't have any usable prints, then I threw it through the bars of the fire escape. It landed at the guy's feet. I only fired it four times to bring down the fire escape, the bullets all ended up in the trash. I found them and the casings and left." She explained, remembering it thoroughly. "They've been chasing me for a while now. They killed the man they thought was my father and have been hunting me down since. They need something with St. Basil's, that's all I know. That's why I think Miss Stella is now in danger too. They're bound to find out she's an ex-basilisk."

"Fine, then we'll get both of you protection. My team will be working on finding these guys too. We got fingerprints and DNA from sweat off the fire escape and acceleration marks from a hummer." Said Mac. He looked at the stubborn girl's face. Her tan skin that stretched over her cheeks. Her cinibar irises that could kill a man at forty paces.

"Oh no, you need my help!" She protested quickly. "I'm all for protecting Miss Stella, but you need me to take these bastards down."

"Hey, watch your mouth, young lady." Mac scolded before realizing how strange paternal instincts were to him.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly, sitting back down quickly.

"Alright, let's start from the beginning. How do they know how to find you?" He asked.

"I have no idea. I'm starting to think they just drive around to see when and where they can find me. I keep telling them that if any innocent people are hurt... " Nami sighed, scrubbing her face. "I don't know where they are but I've been through every abandoned building in Manhattan. Either they can move like cheetahs or they're not here."

"They may be in a government owned building. Let me guess, you can't go anywhere you might be identified?" Mac smirked.

"I try to avoid it." She nodded shamelessly. "In any case, I can help you! But I can't have some police officer tailing me. I want in on anything your department does. I'll be d-arned if I get tripped up because you're getting involved in this mess."

"Look, let's not get ahead of anything. First thing's first, I don't want you going anywhere until we get you a place to stay." Said Mac.

"Fine, but I'm not going to some random foster home."

"Hey, what'd she say?" Stella asked Mac as soon as he came out.

"She wants to help us find them, and she doesn't want police protection, at least not just yet. She wants us to focus on protecting you for now." Mac looked at Stella with raised eye brows.

"Why me?" She frowned.

"Apparently, the attacks have something to do with people connected to St. Basil's. She's convinced they'll come after you next." Mac said, pointing to her before moving to the door.

"What's going to happen to her now?" Asked Stella.

"Well I told her I'd try and keep her out of a foster home, but I don't know where she's going to go if our people are digging through her possible hiding places." Mac mumbled. "I'm going to bring her back with us to the lab so we can get some DNA samples and clarification."

"Okay, it'll be good to check if she even has a last name."

"Hey guys, none of the prints or sweat samples results in codis or anything. They're just as invisible as... what's her name?" Danny asked, scrunching his face in thought.

"Nami." Stella blurted absently, tossing another paper beside her.

"Nami, right, is that short for something, or... ?" Danny frowned.

"She can't remember what her real last name is, but she says her middle name is Stellar." Stella said just as absentmindedly as before.

"Alright, so where is she now?" Danny asked, plopping onto the couch in Mac's office next to Stella.

"Sh." Stella smiled gently. Everyone followed suit as she got up and went over to Mac's desk. She turned his swivel chair around to reveal a sleeping Nami, curled up into a ball and resting peacefully.

"Oh... " Lindsay whispered, giving into her '_Go aw at anything cute_' instinct. "She's so cute."

"I heard that." Nami grumbled curling into a ball tighter.

"Sorry honey, go back to sleep." Stella whispered, putting the chair back in place.

"What are you all looking at?" Mac asked suspiciously, seeing his entire staff crowded around his desk, seemingly going _aw_ at his chair.

"Nothing, what do you have?" Stella began quickly as always.

"Flack talked to the families that signed the fake adoption papers. They all said the same thing." Said Mac. "Sweet, caring, intelligent, beautiful girl with black hair and amber eyes."

"I hate it when the world decides to be unhelpful." Danny cursed.

"We did, however, find something on where the gang might be headed next. Witnesses reported at least three armored cars outside the abandoned concert hall."

"What?!"

Whap!

"Ow." Nami grumbled, getting out from under Mac's desk.

"What was she doing under there?" Mac asked, though he got no response in return.

"They're at the old concert hall?! Dammit!" Nami cursed.

"Hey, language, young lady." Stella and Mac both pointed.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "They're trying to kill two birds with one stone. If they get the police involved they're almost guarantee a kill, and they're after Miss Stella. They also think I'm still there."

"You were living in the old concert hall?" Asked Lindsay. "I heard somewhere that it's an official urban legend that the old grand piano left behind in there was playing by itself...that was you wasn't it?"

"I have nothing better to do." Nami shrugged with a smile.

"Stella, you're staying here with Nami while we move in." Mac said firmly, though he knew there was no way in hell she was going to-"

"What?!" Both Nami and Stella barked. "No way!"

"That's what I thought." Mac frowned.

"Mac, if they're after me, I could be an asset to have there." Stella said equally adamant, stepping toward Mac and pointing to the ground and the foot she was putting down.

"And there's no way you can survive in there if you get in a game of cat and mouse without me there." Nami piped up as well. "You need me! I've been dodging these b-very unpleasant people for years!"

"Taking a twelve year old girl to a bust is out of the question and I don't want to put anyone in any unnecessary danger, that means you, Stella!"

"Mac, I agree we can't bring Nami but I am a trained professional! I'm a big girl, I can handle this!"

"Hello! I'm still right here and I still say that you'll all be killed if you don't have someone there who know's how to handle them!"

"If you three are done!" Flack shouted from the doorway, interrupting the three way banter effectively. "I just had a talk with the Chief. He doesn't like this anymore than we do, but not only is Stella going in with us, but Nami will be there too. She gets a vest, a glock, and she'll be going in with us, but she's to stay at my side the whole time."

"You're not serious - they're bringing a minor into a gang bust with a gun?!" Stella burst.

"We don't have a choice. I don't agree with it, but we do need someone to keep us from being shot, and she's that person right now. The building itself is a trap waiting to sprung." Flack said, looking at the young girl, who noticed and looked back up at him. The minute his blue eyes met her amber ones it was like he was suddenly hit by a tsunami. His brain began to pulse inside his skull and his insides began to tighten involuntarily.

"She's a twelve year old girl, Flack!" Stella insisted.

"Actually I'm ten." Nami corrected the squabbling adults calmly with a slight shake of her head. "I think... don't know my birthday... sorry. As far as I know, though, I'm ten."

"Either way, come with me and we'll get you suited up, kiddo." Nami went to Flack easily and put her hand in his without looking at anything in particular. Flack wrapped his hand around her tiny one gladly, but noticed she didn't even seem to be conscious of the act. He looked back to his friends who shared his thoughts and feelings. He nodded and took her down the hall.

"She's ten years old, an orphan on the street and running from murderers." Stella glowered, crossing her arms. "Unbelievable."

"Let's suit up." Said Mac. "Lindsay and Danny, I want you guys outside monitoring the perimeter. Someone call Hawkes and tell him to be on standby with a bus. Stella, Flack and I are going in alone."

"Alright, let's catch us some killers."

Nami adjusted the bullet proof vest around her slim torso. She also pulled the clip on her glock and looked at it in her hand. She was used to guns but not government service weapons. It felt lighter than others.

She looked around at the men also suiting up. They were huge to her, and she had no intention of disobeying them so long as they remained reasonable. There were a lot of luxuries she couldn't afford in her life, both metaphorical and physical, but she made sure she got by. Seeing the men load their weapons was like watching children play at the park to her; it wasn't anything too abnormal. Still, she'd been told at a young age that guns, although bad, were only bad if the shooter used them for bad reasons. Guns were both tools for killing and tools for protecting. She planned on using hers for the latter.

"Alright guys, regulation bust! Go in, do a sweep, the whole shebang! If you hear even a mouse poopin' on your shoe you point a gun at it!" Flack shouted in his usual all business tone. Despite the humor in the statement everyone knew how serious things could get if they didn't. Flack was the best in homicide for a reason. "Let's go!"

"Sir!" They chorused and moved to the entrances, waiting for his signal.

"Nami?" Flack turned to see her standing strong with her gun at the ready. She looked like she could be part of NYPD if it weren't for her age, but then, everyone got the impression she was already a thousand year old soul in a child's body. "Come here, sweetheart."

"Where do you want me?" She asked seriously.

"I need you to stay with me the whole time." Flack said to the girl quietly, bending to be eye level with her. "You stick right to my side, okay?"

"Right, and if I have to do what I do, what does your boss say to do then?" She asked, looking at Gerrard with her peripherals.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Flack stood and moved in, Nami hot on his heels with her gun at the ready. He put a hand in front of her and motioned for the man opposite of him to break the door in.

"NYPD!!"

The theater was like a Phantom of The Opera set from the eighteen hundreds. It was dark. It was dusty. It was creepy. And it reeked of Chinese food.

The grand piano which sat on the grimy stage was the only part of the place that didn't have a layer of filth on it. It was polished to perfection and obviously well kept. A circle around it on the stage was swept and mopped clean as well, but the rest was left untouched.

Flack motioned for the teams to split up silently, and turned, making sure Nami was still by his side. She was. "You live here?"

"Sometimes." She replied quietly.

Flack nodded and moved down the right isle with her, frequently turning sharply with his finger on the trigger. Much to his chagrin, Nami was much more calm and relaxed, telling him she'd been in such kinds of situations before. "Where do you think they are?"

"If they're smart, waiting for us."

"Mac, I still don't have any signs of anything unusual." Danny said into the head set. "You sure this is the right place?"

"Positive. We checked the mystery machines and they all have empty automatic weapon racks in them. We also know they're after Nami, and she confirmed she lives here half the time." Mac's voice crackled back through the earpiece.

"Alright, keep in touch, and be careful." Danny clicked out.

"How are they?" Lindsay asked from the other wall of the van, her eyes still on the monitors.

"They're comin' up clean so far." Danny answered. "How goes the babysitting?"

"I don't see anything yet." Lindsay mumbled back.

"Flack's got Nami with him. Hey, why do you think they let her in?" Danny asked Lindsay, who finally turned to him. They both knew what he meant: Why would the NYPD chief let a ten year old girl into a bust when she would normally be a suspect herself? There must've been a good reason, and a reason linking to office politics, no less.

"I don't know, but it can't be good."

"Ah!" One man's shout came before the sound of M-16 shots filled the theater.

"Move! Now!" Flack shouted as he rose from the ground with his gun ready to shoot. "Nami, you okay? Nami? Nami!"

"Flack, what's goin' on?" Danny asked urgently with Lindsay listening in. She'd seen the shots come out of the windows on screen.

"Dammit! Shots fired... Nami ran off somewhere!" Said Flack.

"She probably knows where they came from." Suggested Lindsay.

"Alright Flack, you guys be careful and don't worry about the kid, I'm goin' in for her." Danny was about to click out when he heard Mac.

"No, Danny, you stay there with Lindsay!" He shouted.

"Mac, the kid ran!" Danny protested.

"Yeah, I'll get her." Said Mac. "Just stay put."

"Alright, boss, I trust ya." Danny sighed.

"Good."

Nami watched the three men from behind an old stage set. They were huge men, all dressed in black and all with M-16 automatics. The one who shot at them in the theater was still at the window in case he saw something. The other two were ever vigilant... so vigilant she was able to sneak up the stairs and behind the set unnoticed. She smirked.

"Where is she?" The shooter asked the tallest man.

"She should be here." He growled angrily. "It doesn't matter, we have plenty of time to get that kid, we need to take care of that woman."

"Are we allowed to have some fun with her first?" The third man asked gruffly with lust and greed in his voice.

"I don't see why not." The tall man replied smugly.

"Have you seen that dame? I'm sure she's as hot inside as out."

Nami scrunched her face with disgust at their intentions as her blood began to heat up with rage. They were talking about Stella.

"Hey, I counted twelve heads a minute ago, now there are only eleven." The shooter said with a frown.

"Well count 'em again. Wouldn't surprise me if you made a math mistake." The leader bit.

Nami took that as her cue to move. She aimed her gun carefully in the dim light and shot.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

All three men dropped almost instantly to the dirty floor. Their blood pooled around their bodies as they hit.

"Dammit!" The leader gasped as the blood leaked from his bullet wound in his stomach. It wasn't a fatal wound so long as he could keep his blood inside of him.

"Oh, it's you." Nami frowned, finally seeing the tall man's face.

"You!" He spat, blood staining his teeth.

"Me." She smiled. She kicked their weapons out of reach and pulled out her walkie talkie. "Danny?"

"Nami?" Danny asked with surprise.

"I took down the shooters, they each have non fatal wounds but they're bleeding badly. Get a bus. I'm going in further." She finished.

"Nami? Nami! Kid?!" Danny shouted.

"Danny, what's going on?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"She's goin' after them."

Bang!

Bang!

Two more men hit the floor with bullets going through their torsos.

"Two more down, get more medics." Nami said plainly.

"Nami, get back to Flack!" Danny ordered.

"Sorry, but there are at least twelve more guys in here. I'll come out when I'm done. Make sure to have plenty of medical attention ready." Nami replied flatly.

"Come on, kid-damn." Danny swore as he lost her again.

"Stella, Danny lost Nami again. As far as we know, she's heading towards us." Mac said to a bristling Stella.

"She knows something, that's why." Was all she offered.

"I've never been in here." Mac murmured.

"Either have I... and I don't plan to come back."

Bang!

"Hm... out of bullets." Nami let the empty magazine fall to the floor and loaded another one as easily as one could get a plate out of a cupboard. She had thought ahead and brought four extra magazines with her, knowing there would be more than just a few to take down.

"He's gonna get you, you little bitch!" The man bit through his gasps for air. "He got Roger, he'll get you!"

"Ah, shaddap." She frowned. "The less you talk the longer you live so keep your mouth shut until the medics find you."

This wasn't good. She couldn't hear anything. Sure, she couldn't hear any shots at the moment, but she had no way of telling whether or not that was because there were no shots or she just couldn't hear them. It wouldn't be a good idea to use the walkie, just in case they were in danger, but she needed to find them before more shooters did.

She poked her head around a corner and walked through casually. It was an old props room, filled with random and useless junk from the decades past. She knew they had a limited supply of eighteen M-16s but that was more than enough to do this job. She'd taken down six, which meant there were plenty more, and she was left in the dark... literally. The light in the hole place was little to none and it was almost pitch black in the room she was in. Nami had good eyes, despite hating carrots, but she could only tell where she was going from the difference of light between that room and the next. A few stray bits of hair hung in front of her eyes and moved sharply when she moved, helping her make sure she didn't run into anything; the difference between the dark of the room and the absolute black of her hair was not only noticeable, but helpful. She stood still for a minute and felt the tiny locks move against her skin. She looked up and stepped into the next room without caution. A window at the top of the far wall was letting a light breeze. It seemed to be a dead end aside from the impossible to reach window. Good.

"Danny, I'm in the farthest back room in the building. There's an entrance to the basement no one's supposed to know about in here. I'm going under to find the others and you won't have any contact with me 'till I'm back up." Said Nami. "Bear with me... I'll be back in ten."

"You wouldn't listen to anything I said anyway." Danny sighed.

"Fraid not." Nami smiled and laughed lightly.

"Be careful." Danny said seriously to the girl.

"I will be. See you in a few."

"Where are we?" Stella asked Mac with her brows furrowed. They seemed to be in a one way room. It was like their interrogation room, just replace the mirror with a window at the top of the far wall.

"I don't know, but it doesn't belong in a musical theater." Mac frowned. One table in the center stood above what looked like a normal, concrete floor. CSIs, however, were paid to notice the impossible.

"Secret door?" Stella asked, also seeing the faintest cracks.

"Yep." He paused as they heard something. Rock... grinding. They pointed their guns at the door as is started to move.

"Don't shoot! It's me!" Came a familiar voice.

"Nami?" Stella was the first to run over and push the table to the wall. Nami's black head popped out as she pushed the wooden door up.

"Ugh... it smells of blood and cat pee down there!" Nami grumbled, stepping out carefully.

"Nami, what are you doing here?! You were supposed to stay with Don." Stella scolded, sounding like a mother with her child.

"I'm sorry, but I had to make sure you were both alright. There are probably twelve more M-16 shooters in here and another two dead end rooms. You're lucky they didn't find you." Nami answered with her own frown. "They will kill you... actually they might rape you first."

Stella and Mac both paled visibly at her flat comment and apologetic look. Mac actually looked more troubled than Stella. "Okay."

"Okay?!" The two girls in the room gaped.

"Sorry; I meant okay, let's get out of here." He clarified.

"Wait for my signal." Nami said, getting her gun ready. The detectives nodded unsurely but got behind her anyway. "Now."

The three of them scuffled their way all the way to the door without so much as one problem. Nami opened the door and stepped onto the metal loft a story up from the ground. The steps and fire escape ladder were undisturbed. "Down there; get back to the van."

"You said it yourself, there are still twelve shooters inside, we can't leave my men in there." Said Mac.

"I wasn't suggesting that. I just meant get Miss Stella to safety. I'm going back in for them, and I assume you're coming too."

"I am."

"Mac, I'm not going anywhere." Stella said adamantly.

"Stella, listen to me for once in your life and go to the van!" Mac repeated, raising his voice slightly.

"Mac, I'm not leaving!"

"Dammit Stella, I'm trying to protect you!"

"Both of you!" As soon as she was sure she had their attention, Nami motioned for them to crouch low. "We've got company."

"All twelve remaining shooters." Mac mumbled even less clearly than usual. "All here for... "

"Us." Nami nodded. "Tell Danny to get everyone to this wall."

"Danny, withdraw everyone and get them to the east side of the building. We've got all twelve shooters here, but there's no way we can take down all twelve of them here without something happening."

"You got it, Mac, just sit tight and take care of the girls."

"I can only get three down before the rest of their brains tells them to fire back." Nami explained, clearly knowing far too much.

"You do this a lot?" Mac scowled.

"More often than I'd like." She admitted, turning back. "Geez..."

Bang!

Stella and Nami both got down and started looking for a shooter.

"Where did it come from?" Stella asked.

"It sounded like it came from behind." Nami turned. "Mac... "

"Mac?"

The sharp and consistent sound of a machine echoed as the twelve shooters from the gang fell one by one to the ground - dead as doornails.

"What the - ?!" Nami turned and aimed but there was no one.

"Mac?!" Stella shook him harder, patting his cheek. "Come on."

"What's wrong?" Nami asked worriedly, seeing Stella's frantic face on the verge of sobbing.

"Dammit, talk to me Mac Taylor!" Stella put her hand on his neck and touched her forehead to his. "Don't you dare die on me."

Images flashed through Nami's mind as she felt her blood rushing to her brain. She remembered an alley, a shot, the blood. The body of Roger Kennedy on the ground, the blood hitting her seven year old face.

"Nami?" Stella watched the girl's eyes roll back before she fell beside her. "Nami? Nami, sweetheart, are you alright?"

"Daddy."


	4. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

_Nami could see her breath as she ran through the streets of Manhattan, New York in early September. She didn't register the cold air hitting her face; she was too busy running for her life. _

"_When we catch you we're gonna kill you, you little brat!" _

_The eight year old girl took it as incentive and kept running. She ran through a shallow puddle with her sandals and rounded a corner to find herself in the back of a warehouse yard. A couple more minutes and she'd reach the pier, where some detectives were conducting an investigation. That was the last thing she needed. _

"_We killed Roger and we'll kill you too!" _

"_Shut up!" Nami shouted over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs to the roof of one of the lower buildings._

"_Roger Kennedy was a traitor and a deserter!" _

"_I said shut up!" Nami yelled again as she prepared herself to make the jump from the low building to the next. She made it. _

"_Mac!" She heard a woman's voice shout from the west end of the shipping yard. A loud metal crash was heard afterwards. _

"_Damn." Nami didn't know when she'd adopted the bad habit of swearing, but it was hard to kick. She didn't want or need anyone getting wrapped up in her already tangled web. _

_She saw a fire escape ladder and took the opportunity to get back on the ground. She jumped off the roof and grabbed the second last rung on the ladder as her weight brought it sliding down. Just before it was brought to a halt she jumped off, turned in midair and kept running. She'd been running for about a year now; a little longer wouldn't..._

"Nami?" A voice called in the distance.

Nami blinked slowly as violently bright lights hit her sensitive eyes. She looked up to see white all around her. "What... who?"

"Hey." Stella whispered from the girl's bedside. "It's me."

"Miss Stella." Nami whispered with a weak smile. She felt the woman take her hand.

"Morning sweetheart. I'm so glad you're okay." Said Stella. "You blacked out on us."

"That happens a fair bit." Nami sighed. "I hate hospitals."

"Listen Nami, my friend Sheldon Hawkes is going to check you out. It's okay, he's a doctor and a good friend of mine. Is that alright?" Stella asked the young girl cautiously.

When they first brought both Mac and Nami in, they were a bit concerned with complications and why she collapsed in the first place. Mac was rushed to the ER but was reported to be fine; the bullet grazed his neck and harmlessly brushed the nerve linking to his cerebellum, doing no permanent damage but knocking him out. Nami, however, was said to have collapsed due to post-traumatic stress to her brain. When they said they didn't know what happened in her past, the doctors simply sent her to the recovery room and hooked her up to machines.

"Sure... " Nami's eyes drifted an African-American man with glasses standing a small distance away. He smiled and waved.

"Hawkes." Stella nodded.

"Hi Nami, my name is Sheldon." He said softly, fully aware of the girl's psychological troubles. "I'll be your doctor today."

"Hi." Nami said plainly, still dozy from the anesthetics.

"I'll be back soon, okay hon?" Stella asked, putting a hand on Nami's cheek tenderly.

"Okay." The girl smiled, feeling an incredible warmth from the simple but unfamiliar gesture.

"Okay." Stella kissed the crown of Nami's black hair and left.

"Nami, I need you to open wide." Hawkes said, taking out a swab for DNA.

"I think I can... my mouth is the only part of me that can move."

"Mac." Stella took the man's hand and sat beside him slowly. Her eyes never left his serene face; unnaturally serene for Mac.

"Stella?" He muttered in his half-sleep.

"That's my name." She tried to laugh, but it came out like she was trying not to cry.

"N-Nami... " He tried to say.

"Sh... " She brushed her thumb over his lips and stroked his cheek. "She's fine, you just rest."

"Stella... I... " Mac was unable to finish as his mind fell back to sleep. His hand went limp in hers.

"Oh Mac... " Stella made to get up but his hand immediately gripped hers the minute she moved. She kissed his cheek and laid his hand on his chest. "Sleep tight."

"Stella." Mac murmured, trying to speak.

"Mac don't-"

"I need to know... " He yawned. "Are you alright?"

Stella's face softened from being hardened and worried to smiling and sweet. "I'm fine, hon, now get some sleep."

Too late. The marine was snoring lightly, also dozy from medication, and sleeping soundly with a hint of a smile.

"Well Nami, you're one healthy girl, if I do say so myself." Sheldon said happily, making light of the whole situation. "I can find nothing much wrong with you. You'll have a headache for a while, but you've been given aspirin; you'll be fine."

"Good to know." She laughed, slumping further yet.

"You should get some sleep, must be tired." Said Hawkes as he packed up his medical kit.

"Can't." She said monosyllabically, though much more lucid than before. Seeing him turn to her sharply she blinked. "Nightmares."

"About what, sweetheart?" He frowned, leaning forward on his knees. There was something about the girl that got into you and made you extremely fond of her. Perhaps it was her soft look, or the gentleness her eyes held sometimes. For Hawkes, it was her strangely constant serenity and fragility that laid under her hard exterior.

"Running." She answered shortly again. "Lots of running."

"Where?"

"Not to where. From whom." She corrected with a small shake of her head. "The men hunting me are not at all subtle or discreet in any way."

"While you were under, you seemed to be having a nightmare. You mentioned the name Roger." Hawkes frowned.

He'd been in with the doctors while they were examining her when she'd started to breathe heavily. She seemed to be upset and was becoming feverish, almost hyperventilating.

"_Daddy!"_

"_Don't leave me!"_

"_...don't want to die." _

The whole seen was not only disturbing, but it only went from bad to worse. As they were trying to stabilize her, she went into anaphylactic shock. When they managed to revive her, her top half had shot up off the bed with a scared expression. Hot tears ran down her face though her glassy cinibar eyes seemed lifeless. She leaned over, clutching her chest and gasping for air, digging at her tan skin; trying to get to her heart.

"If I'm going to explain it, it should probably be on record." She mused more to herself than Sheldon. "Is that nice police man, Flack, here?"

"Not right now, but you should let your body recover before you go giving statements to the police.

"It's not my body that's hurt... it's my mind."

"Stella?" Hawkes asked quietly, poking his head through the curtain. He smiled at the sight; Stella was fast asleep by Mac's side. It would seem she'd been sitting on the bed, holding Mac's hand, as she was now slouched over with her hand still in his. He really didn't want to wake her, but it was urgent. "Stella, wake up... "

She muttered something in Greek - something along the lines of _go away _- and blinked herself awake. "Yeaaah?"

"Sorry to wake you, but it's important." Hawkes started seriously, sitting across from her. "It's about Nami."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, you know about her anaphylactic shock, right?" He asked, getting a nod in response. "Well no one could figure out what caused it, so I did a little digging and called DNA at the lab... she has an abnormal level artificially developed genes. She has more than twice the amount of everything a girl her age normally has."

"So what the hell does that mean? How would that happen?" Stella asked, her brow furrowing to match her frown.

"I don't know, but I do know they were injected while she was in the embryotic stage, and possibly a few months after birth. I found two scars on her back that look old, but they're definitely from someone sticking a needle into her back and dragging it down through her skin." Hawkes explained, motioning with his hands how one would inject a needle into a baby's back while holding them in one hand. "This explains her overly developed brain, such as her knowledge about things far beyond a ten year old's comprehension and her advanced physical ability. I can't be sure of anything until we get her back to the lab, analyzed, and she tells us what she knows."

"Hawkes, she isn't some hybrid test subject that's to be poked with a stick from a distance." Stella said immediately with a defensive tone. Hawkes seemed to not only not take offense, but understand.

"I know, Stella, I just mean that we have to be sure of her physical, medical, and psychological condition so we can keep her safe." He said with his normally calming and gentle voice.

"Right... you're right, I'm sorry." She said shaking her head.

"You're worried, we all are, and that's completely understandable, but she has almost superhuman healing ability, she'll be fine." Hawkes chuckled. "As soon as she gets the dumpling she's asked for six times."

"Yeah, the concert hall reeked of Chinese, and I saw quite a few plates around." Said Stella. "She must really like it."

"She also likes mango juice... she's asked for that at least twenty."

"Have Nami's file yet?" Lindsay asked Danny as she was sifting through pages herself.

"I have a random page or two stating completely contradicting things. This one says she has an allergy to the sedative in hospital anesthetics, this one says she's lactose intolerant, this one says she's got an intestinal problem, oh, and this one's my favorite... " He held his finger up. "This one says she's a Mexican immigrant with hepatitis."

"What?" Lindsay squinched.

"Yeah, and those are just the one's that have minutely similar descriptions. Fake names, she always signed herself out or just vanished. A note, looking very legit, usually came two days later apologizing for the sudden leave but there was a family emergency." He sighed.

"I wonder what it's like... having no family." Lindsay mused sadly, looking down. Her close knit family in Montana was hard enough to leave, but she couldn't imagine never having anyone.

"I wouldn't know, but... " He looked at her sadly. "They do... "

"Yeah... " Lindsay often felt a little spoiled by life when she compared her life to her Greek friend's. She had a fairly good life, sure, there were some hard times - really hard times - but she always had people she could count on to help her through it. Even when she'd first came to New York and met the team that would soon be like family, she always remembered Stella being nothing but kind and sweet.

"_Hi, I'm Lindsay Monroe, we spoke on the phone. It's great to finally meet you." Lindsay smiled, feeling more than a little nervous. It was her first day as a city girl, and as she watched the elegant but strong woman stand to greet her she couldn't help but feel a little childish in her pink blouse and jeans. _

"_Hi Lindsay, I'm Stella Bonasera, it is great to finally meet you." The older woman smiled brightly, shaking her hand gladly. "I'm afraid I'll have to catch up with you later, I have a case and you have a scene with Danny Messer and Mac Taylor, your new boss." Stella smiled. "Don't worry, Mac's kind of scary at first, but he's never bitten me." Stella laughed. "He doesn't like Greek."_

_Lindsay laughed at that, grateful for the sense of humor that made the whole day a little lighter on her shoulders. _

"I never was able to imagine being all alone in the world." Lindsay admitted, shaking her head so her honey blond curls swayed.

"You don't have to. You got us... and you got me."

"Nami seems to be just as you described her, Dr. Hawkes." Doctor Newman said with a faint Texan drawl that reminded the detectives of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. "Her mentality is well beyond her years, and I don't doubt that corrupt intentions are behind it."

"How should we start?" Stella asked nervously, feeling like a little orphan girl again among the men in the room... besides Mac. She looked at him briefly but tried not to show it. The fresh scar on his neck was split between his shoulder and the base of his neck and was completely hidden by his black collared shirt.

"I'd like you to start with a question about her, Miss Bonasera." The Texan man smiled sweetly, showing his slightly crooked teeth. It creeped her out. "Then we'll go from there. I think she knows everything we want to, she just can't tell us at the time, and the way to get it out of her is by assuring her that we are not a threat to her."

"I'm sure she'll figure out what's going on." Said Stella.

"That can go one of two ways." Said Newman. "She trusts you."

"So you think I'll be the one she talks to?" Stella asked with raised eye brows and an irritated frown.

"I'll step in if I see necessary." Newman nodded arrogantly as though that was the question she was asking.

"If I want anyone coming in there, it's Dt. Taylor." Stella clarified before going into the interrogation room where Nami sat braiding the longer half of her bangs which angled to the right. "Hey, Nami."

"Miss Stella, you look well. I'm glad." Nami smiled and nodded cordially and already sounded - not quite precocious but... very mature.

"I should be saying that to you." Stella started with worry obvious in her voice and on her face. "What happened?"

"I have post traumatic stress that causes me to pass out when certain things bring up certain memories or remind of the traumatic event in question or such." Nami finished with wave of her hand.

"Really? How do you know that?" Stella frowned.

Nami's vermillion eyes drifted to the outer edge of Stella's face. The clear, sharp irises were more gleaming than ever, giving a look of layers of color under glass. They seemed to rest on Stella's earing, then her hair, but that fraction of a centimeter made all the difference between Stella's curl and the reflective window behind her. "What's the name of the doctor in the back room?"

"Would it matter if I told you it wasn't my idea?"

"I"m not upset or anything, I know you need and want to know my condition right now, it only makes sense." Nami said to the glass after smiling at Stella warmly. "So I'll gladly tell you anything so long as the doctor stays out of here."

"Done." Stella smirked. "Now, if you could please tell me... you had me worried, kiddo."

Nami blinked and let her eyes drop to the table sadly. She hadn't heard that in so long. "Right... I'll start by saying I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Asked Stella.

"I lied to you guys. I'll start from the beginning this time."

_My name is Nami Stellar... something. I was born in... New York, I think, but I don't know anything else. All I know is I've been shipped from orphanage to orphanage all my life. My first memory is from St. Basil's orphanage in Greece, and then so many more I can't count them all. When I arrived here in New York to St. Basil's, I finally caught a glimpse of the men that ship us around in chicken wire cages-_

"You were shipped from orphanage to orphanage in chicken wire cages?" Stella gasped with disgust.

"Yes, now please... "

_I finally saw them, and the leader of them was called E. Roger Kennedy was a man who'd lost his family and got mixed up in their market by accident. We met each other when I was six, and trying to claw my way out of the cage and he was eating a sandwich on top of it. I suppose he took pity on me when I asked him for a piece of his grilled cheese, seeing as he gave me half and let me out of the darn thing._

_Looking and acting a little like Indiana Jones, he was also an unorthodox father figure. I became attached to him, I even loved him. He was the father I never had and never would have again. He looked out for me, and one night he took me away. Or rather, he tried, and we almost made it... but he was killed. _

"He was shot in the chest three times. I remember that blood... hitting my face as his hand let go of mine." Nami said absently, looking into the distance as though visiting her past physically. "I was seven years old when it happened, and I had to watch him die in front of my eyes. I was crying, trying to put pressure on his wound and begging him not to leave me. He told me to run before he finally died."

"Nami." Stella resisted the urge to stroke the girl's cheek and distract her from her story.

"There was still some color in his face." One single tear rolled down her smooth cheek, though she didn't seem to be aware of it. "I did as he told me, just as I had before, time, after time... after time. I ran. I ran and I didn't look back until I'd found a safe hiding place."

"The concert hall?" Stella asked her with her head tilted downward, waiting for a confirmation.

"Yeah... I found the back entrance and picked the lock with a knife. When I found my way to the main stage I crawled under the grand piano and stayed there for what must have been days." Nami mused, smiling pensively.

"Nami, sweetheart, you've been running away from them for years, and you were never officially registered at any orphanages, were you?" Stella squinted. "Just dropped off and taken away again, right?"

"Pretty much." The girl shrugged nonchalantly. "I wasn't at our St. Basil's a whole lot, barely even enough to know the kids that well."

"That's why the nuns never heard of you?"

"Yeah... that, and they didn't see me much. I just made weird faces at them when their backs were turned."

The two feminine heads turned as the door knob turned to the entrance of the room, revealing Dr. Newman, whom was unwelcome.

"You... " Nami stared at the plump man with malice. "You!"

"Nami, what's wrong?" Stella asked quickly, sensing her tension.

"You killed him!" Nami leapt up and jumped at the man.

"Who Nami?" Stella asked as she struggled to hold the girl back.

"He killed Roger! He killed my dad!"


	5. Back to Square One

Back to Square One

"Murderer!"

The word spilled from Nami's mouth vehemently as she struggled against Stella's hold. Her hair flew in front of her eyes as they seemed dead set on making the man spontaneously explode.

"Nami!" Stella struggled to hold the girl back, and she was stronger than most women, but Nami had unnatural strength on her side.

"He killed him!" She screamed again, trying to lunge at him like an animal, clearly intent on killing the man herself. "Murderer!"

"Clearly the girl isn't stable. I suggest you check her into a psychiatric hospital immediately, Detective Taylor." Dr. Newman suggested, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose to hide the smirk forming at the corners of his sickly pale mouth.

"On the contrary Doctor; she's identified you as the killer of Roger Kennedy. I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for questioning." Mac said seriously, turning to the man with a frown.

"What?! She's obviously having some kind of psychological

break - a melt down! She has psychoses! You can't take her word over mine, I'm a licensed doctor!" The Texan man raged, his round face turning red as Mac prevented him from leaving the room.

"We'll see about that, until then you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can, and will be held against you in a court of law. Make yourself comfortable." Mac ordered, pushing the man back and into an angry looking Hawkes. "You're going to be here a while. In the meantime, stay away from that girl."

"She can't possibly recognize me, I've never seen her before in my life!" Newman protested as Hawkes held his hands behind his back.

"Again, we'll see about that." Mac scowled.

"He killed him." Nami whispered, finally settling as much as one could in her position. She bit her lip to prevent sobs from coming out to match her tears. Her sharp inhalations and whimpers were only accentuated by her limp, defeated form. "He killed him."

"Hush, hush." Stella whispered into Nami's hair as she gathered the girl in her arms and rocked her gently.

"My dad... " Nami gasped, choking on her sorrow. "Gone... "

"You're gonna be okay, baby... you're gonna be okay." Stella stroked her hair and held her as tightly as she could, feeling her tears soak her shoulder. Nami let out a muffled scream of pain, which made Stella hold the girl tighter, for all she was worth. She remembered crying like that, because the world didn't care if an orphan cried... it never did.

"Stella." Mac put a hand on Stella's back as he kneeled by the girls slowly, putting a hand on Nami's as well. He looked at Stella's green eyes, which were on the verge of tearing themselves. The girl's hiccups of suppressed crying bombarded his ears and tore at his heart. No one liked to hear a child cry - it was gut wrenching - and his growing but accidental attachment to the girl wasn't helping him.

"Daddy!"

Mac was surprised when Nami let go of Stella and fell into his arms, knocking him over and shocking him. The scientist in him told him that it was perfectly logical that since she was so attached to Roger Kennedy as a father figure, it made sense for her to go in search of similar affection. Just as a child would switch from parent to parent while crying, Nami was simply looking for familiarity to ease her pain. The man in him, however, had objections to logical thinking. He placed his large hand on her tiny back without thinking and brought her closer as she clawed at his shirt, trying to hold in another wail. Her trembling shoulders, her teary eyes; he could understand why fathers never wanted their daughters to be upset. Women weren't shy about maternal instinct but it had to be awakened in men, and Mac guessed that Nami had awakened his. She reminded him of when Claire was asking him if he wanted children, a little girl to protect, but he'd been too scared.

"Daddy... "

"Sh... " Mac shushed her as he wrapped his arms around her fully, now, embracing the strange feeling of paternal love and the inexplicable need to protect her from anything and everything. "Sh, now... "

"Back... "

He felt her hot, frantic breath escape in a gasp for air and attempt at speech all at once. He frowned, not knowing what to say.

"Come back... "

"You're going to be alright, sweetheart... " He blinked, looking up at Stella for a moment and seeing the woman's shared heartbreak for the girl. He didn't know what compelled him to do so, but he held his arm out for Stella to scoot into as she rested her head on his shoulder and stroked Nami's hair lovingly. "You're going to be alright."

"Everything's going to be okay." Stella added sadly. Mac nodded.

"I promise."

"Mm... dumpling... " Nami licked her lips in her sleep, at least having a pleasant dream this time. Instead of sleeping under Mac's desk she'd fallen asleep with her head on Stella's lap. They'd wanted to keep an eye on her and she really didn't care so long as she could sleep off her unsettlement, so Mac had carried her tiny body back to his office bridal style. She clung to his chest and curled her body into a tightly protected ball until Stella helped him ease her down onto the sofa and she sat with her until she'd dozed off.

Stella smiled and stroked her hair, which she'd taken out of the braid it was tied in. She let her hand rest on Nami's shoulder, who had one arm tucked under her and the other touching Stella's waist. Mac had covered her with his coat tenderly and moved to his desk to work. "She must be exhausted. Not that I can blame her."

"I can't imagine what she's been going through." Mac agreed, looking up from his computer. "This thing is no help. I can't find anything on anything."

"Then how do these guys know how to find her?" Stella asked, going back into CSI mode.

"I don't know, but they must be watching her all the time. My only question is how that fake doctor knew where to find her and how to get her case from us anyway. Hawkes said he was recommended by the department of Child Services as a psychologist, but obviously we can't trust them now." Mac fell into a deep silence naturally and ran over the whole thing in his mind.

The past 36 hours had been packed, happening at a speed Einstein wouldn't be able to measure. He looked at the girl asleep in Stella's arms and wondered if it could all even be possible.

A girl shoots men part of a gang that's been hunting her for years.

Then she's found by a cop.

She sees more cops and she runs.

She comes back, claiming the cop who found her originally was in danger.

She comes to a bust with a gun and takes down almost all of the shooters.

She goes into anaphylactic shock when the hospital gas reacts with her synthetic genes.

She reveals that she was an orphan from birth and part of a pickpocket shipping ring ran by a man named E.

She tells them how Roger Kennedy, her father-of-sorts, was killed.

Almost three years later, his killer comes back in the form of a child psychologist brought in by NYPD.

She shatters.

It was all quite a bit to take in, and Mac wasn't sure if he could. With everything happening as fast as it was, it would be hard for anyone to comprehend what was going on. It was almost like a story line that was written and carried out a mile a minute. "Is she okay?"

"That's the fifth time you've asked that Mac." Stella said with a faint frown, though he could see she was just trying not to smile. "She's fine. No fever, no nightmares, no tears... she's good."

"That's good. I, uh... "

"It's okay to be worried. Besides, she just asked for a dumpling."

"Nami identified him as the guy who shot Roger Kennedy, so is it possible he's part of the gang hunting her?" Lindsay asked Danny beside her as she stared at the flustered man through the glass.

"I don't know, but I don't want him layin' a finger on anyone." Danny growled. "You keep your distance. I'm bringin' my gun in."

"You're cute when you're overprotective." She smiled shyly.

"I like her, she's like a miniature version of Stell. A li'l Miss Stella, plus, no one ever lays a hand you _ever_... you hear?" He smiled.

"I hear you, now come on. He's creeping me out with that smile."

"I know, hasn't this guy ever been to a dentist?"

"Probably killed him too."

"Alright, Dr. Newman... "Lindsay looked up from her file. "Is your name Dr. Newman?"

"Of coarse it is!" He guffawed.

"Mr. Newman, you've been recognized as the killer of Roger Kennedy." She said.

"Please, by that crazy little girl?! She has psychological trauma! There's no way you can take what she says into any account." He blustered, waving his hands about.

"No, you see, I think it makes what she says all the more believable. We ran the tests, we know about the hormonal doses you gave her as a baby. You know you're lucky she's not dead." Danny sneered, resting his hands on the table and leaning forward.

"She'd probably be better off anyway." Newman grumbled. "Her brain is unstable, not functioning as it should, she needs help!"

"And you need deodorant - si'down!" Danny shouted, forcing the man back into his seat. "She's a ten year old girl on the run from people trying to kill her, and so far, I'm not convinced in the least you're not one of 'em."

"I don't need to listen to this, I want to contact my attorney!" Newman shouted, slamming his hands on the metal table.

Lindsay jumped slightly but held her adamant expression, trying not to show how much he'd startled her. "Calm down."

"I will not calm down!" He shouted again, pointing at her.

"You heard the lady, now sit your ass down before I glue it to the chair for you." Danny growled, shoving the man against the wall and drawing his gun. "You don't need to be upsettin' anymore girls."

"Oh, big man, standin' up for your woman!" Newman cackled in the most sickening way. "You'll never get what you need from me."

"All I need from you is why she says you're a killer." Said Danny.

"Again, I am a licensed doctor from Dallas, Texus." The chubby man declared with great pride as he adjusted his bolo-tie.

"Yeah, about that. We just got some information that the real Dr. Newman is still in Dallas." Danny corrected him.

"I'm sure there's more than one." He shook his head.

"That's another thing. He's in Dallas, underground. Dead." Danny smirked as the man's face became pale as a lily livered fish. "Didn't do your research did you? Whoever made you assume that name obviously needed to pay closer attention to how the police work. You guys keep followin' that girl I swear I'm gonna hunt you all down and kick every one of your asses one by one! I love bein' able to mix work with fun."

"I'm not saying another word until I talk to my lawyer."

"Does he have a dead man's name too?"

"Hey guys I-" Flack was cut short when the two senior detectives both shushed him quickly, looking at the sleeping Nami. He nodded.

"Come on in, Don." Mac said quietly.

"I didn't find much, but I know her mother and father are both unknown, but she was born in New Yorknfortunately it a six month early home delivery, off record. The government doesn't know she exists." Flack started, bringing a chair over by the girls silently. "That's why she can do what she does? Why she didn't have a psychotic break like most people would? Why she can shoot three people within a second? Why-" Stella stopped, not wanted to wake Nami or for her to hear their words. She stroked her head again and dropped her voice to a whisper. "Poor baby."

"Where's she going to go? If they know where she is at all times and we can't trust social services where is she going to stay?" Flack asked with sympathy in his voice. Since his sister Samantha had broken almost all contact with their family he'd been a bit down, and Nami was growing on him the same way she had with the others. While she'd seen Stella and Mac as mommy and daddy, and vice-versa, he'd come to think of her like a niece, or a little sister of sorts. He didn't get psychology, and it was strange to him how she could just project those kinds of family figures into people she didn't really know, but he did understand how much she must've wanted a family.

"What do you think, Mac?" Asked Stella.

"I think we need her in police custody and protection at all times right now. We clearly can't let her out of our sight or some other freak is going to come after her with a fake id." Mac said with an all-business tone, looking upward at them with his head turned down slightly.

"Okay, but who's going to take her?" Asked Flack.

"I will." Stella put in immediately.

"Normally I'd disagree, but-"

A soft moan from Nami caught all of their attention, but not in a particularly good way. She pressed her forehead against Stella's hip bone and clenched her teeth.

"Mac, her temperature's rising." Stella said with a hint of alarm in her voice and her hand on the girl's brow.

"Flack, get Hawkes, Sid, every ME we have if you have to." Mac ordered, pointing to the door. Flack was up and out before Mac had even finished the sentence.

"Sh, baby, sh. It's okay, I'm here. Mommy's here." Stella cooed. She didn't know exactly what compelled her to call herself mommy, considering it would probably be a deep hole to get out of later, but she didn't care. "What's wrong?"

Nami coughed a bit and took in a raspy breath. "Mommy."

"What is it, Nami? What's wrong?" Stella asked.

"Cold." Nami muttered before curling even tighter.

Acting on instinct Mac took the girl from Stella's arms and held her close. His coat was still wrapped around her tiny body as he sat on the couch and rocked her gently.

"Daddy. Cold."

"You're gonna be okay, sweetheart, just hold on." He assured her.

"Mac!" Sheldon stuck a thermometer in her mouth the second he reached them and pulled it out almost as quickly. "Ninety degrees."

"What does that mean?" Stella asked worriedly.

"I think she's about to go into shock again."


	6. Moving Forward and Moving In

Moving Forward and Moving In

"I need you two to stand back." Hawkes said seriously.

"Hawkes what's happening to her?!" Stella demanded.

"Stella, I need to get oxygen into her before she starts hyperventilating or we'll need hospital equipment." Hawkes said calmly as he put an oxygen mask over Nami's mouth. She raised her hand to touch it briefly but dropped it again, fisting it as she struggled for breath. "Come on, Nami, breathe. I know you can."

Nami began to cough and sputter, her throat twitching and her stomach lurching.

"Nice normal breaths, Nami, you're doing great. Just relax." Hawkes soothed her, still holding the oxygen mask in place. Her chest began to slow down, which he started to take as a good sign, but her breath wasn't steadying with her movement. It was doing quite the opposite. "Nami. Nami, come on, you gotta breathe!"

"Nami! Nami, sweetheart, hold on!" Stella urged.

"Nami!" Hawkes laid her down on the floor and began pushing on her sternum with one hand over the other. "Come on Nami, fight!"

"Stella." Mac guessed she couldn't watch anymore when she buried her face in his chest with her hands over her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her hair.

"Breathe!"

Nami sucked in fresh air, ripping the oxygen mask off and rolling over. She clutched her stomach on her right hand and knees, gasping. She coughed and brought herself to her knees. "Well... *cough*... geez."

"Nami, sweetie, are you okay?" Stella asked her quietly, kneeling beside her. She rubbed her back and helped her up.

"I feel better now, thanks. Thank you, Sheldon." Nami nodded, though the man simply nodded in return. "Cripes, I wish I'd stop doing that. It's so very uncomfortable. It's like drowning in fiery water!"

"What does that - never mind." Mac shook his head. "Hawkes, why does this keep happening?"

"She's probably still recovering from her last attack. Nami, does this happen a lot?" Sheldon asked Nami, bending to her height.

"Not really, no. Just after a trigger, and it only happened maybe once or twice and not nearly as bad as that." She shrugged.

"Oh Nami, don't you ever worry me like that again." Stella hugged the girl as tightly as possible, still kneeling in front of her. She put one hand at the back of her head and kept the other wrapped around her.

"S-sorry... " Nami blinked, having never been hugged like that before. Roger never actually hugged, or kissed her, just ruffled her hair. She wasn't used to physical affection. "Mom... "

"Hey guys!" Lindsay came bursting through the door with Danny a half a step behind her. "What's going on?"

"We're alright, Lindsay." Mac said, going over to them. "Nami had another shock but she's alright now."

"That's good." Lindsay went over to Nami and Stella, leaving Mac and Danny looking worried.

"She's a tough li'l cookie, huh?" Danny asked grimly.

"Yeah, Nami's a real-"

"I was talkin' about Stella." Danny smirked. "I know how Stell gets when she goes into mother hen mode, and I gotta say she's doin' really well with this. Nami's a tough kid, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"When have you seen Stella as a mother hen?" Mac asked incredulously. "When I was working overtime with a cold. She ordered me to go home and drink twelve bowls of chicken soup before coming back." Danny smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. He watched Lindsay, her honey blond curls tucked behind her ears, talk to Nami gently. Nami herself seemed less shook up by the whole thing than anyone else. Stella was clinging to the girl like a life raft, determined not to let go.

"That sounds like my Stella..." Mac chuckled. He turned to Danny to see the man giving the most perverted grin he'd ever seen. "Something wrong with your face, Danny?"

"Since when is she _YOUR_ Stella?" He laughed with elf-like hee-hees, earning a violent look from his boss. "I'm gonna shut up now."

"Smart man." Mac smiled, turning away, though if anything it was so he could think in peace and without Danny's creepy smirk looking at him. He'd made the mistake of calling her his Stella in his head before, but he'd never done it out loud. It was truly the oddest thing he'd ever considered. Not calling Stella his, the fact that he'd done it out loud.

"Mom! I'm okay!" Nami sighed as Stella continued to fret over her. "I'm alright."

"Okay, okay... " Stella sighed, settling on just holding the girl's shoulders. Of coarse she'd noticed how Nami called her mom, but she had no objections to it; quite the opposite, actually. Perhaps calling her mom would be good for Nami, and it didn't much matter to Stella so long as she was fine. Everybody wins, right?

"Could you all give us a minute?" Mac asked politely, though you could hear in tone he meant _get out now or be caught in the crossfire_.

"What's the rush?" Nami blinked as everyone but Stella, Mac and her rushed out like a herd of water buffalo.

"Nami, before what happened, we were talking about where you're going to go." Mac started gently, kneeling to see eye to eye with her. She nodded, urging him to go on. "Stella has offered to take you in."

"Would you like to stay with me?" Stella asked. Nami looked up at her with a bright smile and nodded happily.

"Normally, I'd disagree, but this may work out for the better. We can keep you both safe and I don't think you'd go with anyone else anyway, would you?" He asked Nami with a smile, who smiled back with a shake of her head. "Then it's official. I'll put in for police custody and protection."

"Mac, what judge is gonna authorize this?" Asked Stella.

"Stell, I'm afraid I'll have to call you off the case. Huge conflict of interest if you're going to be Nami's guardian. Also, I don't want you to stay at your place." Said Mac.

"Where then?" She frowned.

"I want you to stay at my place." He looked up at Stella and could tell she was about to protest. "It's safer, especially if they're following you both."

"If that clown who says he's Dr. Newman found me how do you know others won't?" Nami asked.

"We don't, but I'm taking a chance. I'm keeping you and Stella safe and together until this whole thing blows over." He shrugged.

Nami smiled grimly, the light hitting her face just in the right places to give her an angel-of-death look. "Ha! You think this is just gonna blow over? You think the men who've been trying to kill me for years will just give up? They won't stop. They'll hurt you all. They'll... "

"No one's going to hurt you. Either of you. Not while I'm here." Mac cut in firmly, moving his hand in a chopping motion.

"Alright, we'll see, but you'll need extra rooms, and I'll need a never ending supply of dumplings and mango juice."

"Okay Nami, this is my place. I just have to grab a few things and then we can go over to Mac's." Stella said, heading straight to her room.

Nami looked around the nice apartment with wondrous eyes. It was so nice, especially to her, an orphan without ever a home. "Nice."

"Thanks, but I'm sure you'll like Mac's place. He's immaculately neat for a man and his couch is like a cloud wrapped in leather." Stella smiled, coming back out but a moment later with a bag full of what was presumed to be the necessities. "Is there anything you want to get, or... "

"Nothing really. I didn't keep a whole lot at the concert hall." Nami shrugged. "Most of my clothes are somewhat impromptu."

"Well then we'll have to go shopping first thing, won't we?" Stella smiled gently. Nami blinked in confusion at first, but then smiled brightly. "I think you'd look really good in the color turquoise."

"Um... thanks." Nami mumbled with her head down, slowly following Stella to the door.

"Nami, what's wrong?" Stella asked worriedly with her hand on the doorknob.

Hawkes had explained all of Nami's medical conditions and, boy, did she ever have a lot of them.

The genes that were infused with her still developing DNA allowed her to develop in the embryotic stage three times faster than normal.

She had a very low average body temperature, of about ninety degrees.

She rarely needed sleep, so only got about four hours a night, which was still enough for her.

Her immune system was also unbelievably strong.

"I just... don't want to be a burden. The last person... who... took care of me... " Nami looked up at Stella quickly.

Peridot green met glassy vermillion.

Gravity increased around Stella's body as she felt as though shards of glass shooting through her. The more she looked at them, the less it hurt, though. The intensity in them began to soften.

Nami was surprised when Stella didn't seem disturbed by her eyes. Most people were afraid of them; she'd even been sprayed with a hose filled with holy water and wine. But Stella simply smiled.

"Come on, your dad's waiting for us." She said.

"Do you guys mind it, when I call you that?" Nami asked as they headed out the door and to the elevator.

"Of coarse not, sweetie." Stella smiled, placing her hand on her shoulder as they got in, waiting for the door to close.

"Thanks... " Nami watched the steel doors slide close. "Mom."

"Alright, I guess we're home."

The minute you entered the fairly large apartment you could tell the owner was a very neat, very precise with most things, and liked the color blue.

To the right was a small kitchen with a counter for eating that provided a boundary between the kitchen and dining room, which was a strewn with papers on the table and chairs. To the left was a closet and through another white door was most likely a bedroom. To the right, beyond the kitchen was a large living room with plain white walls and one large window on the far wall showing a view of the city. A black leather couch was facing a large tv and glass coffee table that sat on a mint green carpet. Behind the couch was a bureau with a few framed photos and everyday items; change, a few bills, sun glasses etc. The wall to the right of the couch led to Mac's bedroom and the main bathroom.

"Wow, this is nice." Nami immediately went walking through the place but didn't touch anything as Stella noticed immediately. She raised her hand to things but never actually touched them. "No dust."

"Mac cleans on his days off, usually." Stella said automatically, still watching the girl wander through Mac's home.

"That's smart. If the mess doesn't build up it's not as much of a bother." Nami smiled as she looked at the photos on the mahogany dresser. A silver frame was for a picture of him and his team. It was a sunny day, and Stella had gotten him to smile by wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. Danny and Lindsay were connected at the hip while Flack and Angell were standing very close and poking Hawkes teasingly. Another was of just him and Stella. She was wearing a sage green evening gown while he had a tuxedo on, though she was holding his tie captive. Who was there to take these pictures? Hm... the last one was a plain wooden frame and Nami didn't recognize the woman in the picture. She had curly blond-ish hair and blue eyes. She was holding a beach ball and smiling brightly at the camera. There was a wedding band on her finger, shining but not distorting the picture.

"Claire."

Nami turned to Stella surprisedly. "Her?"

"Mac's late wife, Claire. She was killed in nine-eleven." Stella explained sadly as she came over to look at the picture with her. "Mac still has that beach ball. Her breath is still inside."

Nami could only nod sadly as a heavy sadness settled in the room like fog twisting around their ankles. "I see. He misses her."

"He still loves her. I still miss her. She was a good friend of mine." Stella nodded slowly.

"Does he have a thing for curly hair?" Nami asked flatly.

"I really wouldn't know, why?" Stella blinked.

"Just a pattern I'm seeing." Nami shook her head, smiling and setting the photo down gently. "What now?"

"Well, we could stay home, or we could go shopping for some things for you. Clothes, toiletries, books... " Stella started, but her phone rang suddenly. She looked at the caller id and pressed talk. "Mac?"

"Stella, are you and Nami settled in?" He asked on his end.

"Yeah, we just got in and were about to go shopping." Said Stella.

"Whoa... wait 'till I get there, then I'll go with you."

"Mac, we're just going to get some things for Nami, we'll be fine." Stella insisted, beginning to walk aimlessly just for something to do.

"Stella, just wait. I'm already in the lobby. I'll be there in a second."

"Mac - ?!" Stella huffed as he disconnected the call.

"He's really protective. It's not necessarily a bad thing. I like it, but he's _really_ protective of you. " Nami smiled cutely with her hands in her jean pockets.

"Ah, it's just a Mac-thing." Stella dismissed with a wave.

"Oh, come on, he'd rather chew off his own arm than let anyone harm you." Nami smirked.

"That is nothing if not an exaggeration." Stella said as she moved to the door. When her hand was barely touching the door knob it swung open and towards her, startling her into backing up and tripping over her heel.

Nami's brows shot up when she saw the man and woman together in such a position. He'd caught her just in time by grabbing her arms and pulling her back up, closer to him. Her body language screamed '_My heart's pounding, my cheeks are flushing and I'm tempted to kiss you right now but I'm hoping you won't notice_'. Mac's was _Wow, you're even more beautiful than usual when you're in my arms and I can feel your warmth through your tank top and I'm trying not to show it_'.

Hahem!!

Mac and Stella both looked in the direction of the strangely loud cough to see Nami standing casually and waving. They stepped away from each other slowly, never taking their eyes off her. "Um... shall we?"

"Let's go!"

The mall was a fancy place with brass lining the white paint and polished walls that looked orange from the half-lit lights. The escalators and elevator had blueish glass panels around them to try and give a sense of class and delicateness to the place. Trees and plants were scattered about in the halls and the high ceiling was glass to let in the sun of mid-afternoon in August.

"Wow!" Nami gasped. "This place is huuuuuuuuuuuge!"

"Take it in, sweetie, this is my favorite place to shop besides Tiffany's." Stella patted her back. "Okay first stop, clothes, shoes."

"How long will this take?" Mac asked with a hint of worry.

"We're girls, Mac, you could be here a while." Stella laughed as they started down a hallway to their right. Nami walked ahead of them, looking at all the different things in the stores and the people around. Stella moved her hand until she felt the back of it against Mac's. His fingers coiled around hers ever so slightly, encouraging her to grasp his hand fully. When she dared to look at him slightly he was watching Nami with an almost wistful smile.

"_Hey Mac... what's wrong?" Stella asked him over coffee. _

"_Claire... wants a daughter." He sighed, dumping the cream into his coffee and throwing it away without care. _

"_And you don't?" Stella started, knowing better than to insinuate and that letting him get to it would be better. _

"_I don't know. She said she wanted me to know the joy of having a child. After she gave her son up for adoption before we met, she always wanted children, but I'm kind of scared of it." He shook his head. _

"_Why? I think you'd be a great father." Stella said with a smile. "You can't see yourself with a little girl in the mall going shopping with her as her overprotective daddy?"_

"_What makes you think I'd be shopping and/or over protective?" He joked back. _

"_You'd be one of those daddies who could never say no, and of coarse you're protective!" Stella slapped his arm lightly. _

"_Stell, I-"_

"_Ap! I have spoken!" She declared, taking her coffee elsewhere. _

"_Stella! Get back here! I know you can hear me!" _

Now, he had a chance at that - though not quite as he had expected - again, but neither knew how he felt about it.

"Mac?"

"Hm?" He turned to Stella with a questioning look.

"You okay?"

His face softened and he smiled, gripping her hand tighter. "Yep."

"Good, cause we're gonna be a while, so I hope you're ready."

Well, Stella was right. They spent a good three hours trying on clothes, finding nice and comfortable shoes, and another two in the bookshop, which they all enjoyed. Nami was hesitant at getting so much, especially all at once, at first, but then just went along with it. She found it unbelievably exciting to walk through the mall with her parents just like normal kids did. Mac had most of their shopping bags while Stella had her purse and two small bags and Nami had nothing but the smile on her face.

"So do you girls have everything?" Mac asked with a smile despite the burning in his arms from carrying the heavy bags.

"I think so. We got clothes, shoes, toothbrush, toothpaste, mango shampoo, and books. That should be all for now." Stella said, listing the items off on her fingers.

"Then why don't we head home for supper?" They all went out the door and back to the truck. After putting everything in the back, Mac and Stella got in the front and convinced Nami that she most certainly could not ride on the roof. She gave in, got in the back and they left.

Home.

Nami was going back home. For the first time.

That night was perfect. After a supper of spaghetti Nami had a shower, brushed her teeth and went straight to sleep. Even though she found the bed strange to sleep on, it was incredibly warm.

Stella and Mac shared the other almost comfortably. Mac didn't have a guest room since he'd made it into Nami's room, forcing Stella and him to share his bed. While Mac slept in a black T-shirt and sweat pants, Stella was a little less covered in her tank top and shorts. "Night."

"Good night, Stella."


	7. Memories, All Alone in the Moonlight

Memories, All Alone in the Moonlight

_I didn't tell them. _

_I didn't tell them how, for the first time in a long time, I didn't shoot up out of bed, panting, crying, my hand over my heart. Trying to keep it from breaking. _

_Tonight was different. _

_I woke up, but I was happy._

_And hungry._

Nami blinked in the darkness, looking at the plain white ceiling. Her body was entangled in the soft green sheets like a butterfly in a cocoon. The fluffy white duvet had absorbed her body heat and was crinkled under the arm that rested on it limply. She was contemplating whether or not to get up and go through the fridge like a foraging animal.

The blue moonlight came through the large window in the living room and gave the whole place an eerie feel. The cold of night, despite the room's heating, enveloped anything that walked into its awaiting arms and chilled everything. The wood of the windowsill cast a long shadow on the floor, being so low already. There was an abandoned half-a-glass of diet coke, it would seem, sitting on the oak wood.

"Aspartame and sugar in a can." She smiled, even though she rather liked diet coke. She took the liberty of picking it up, wiping the wood off in case it left a ring, and went over to the sink. She was about to dump it out, but she figured _waste-not-want-not_ and drank the almost flat soda happily. She placed the glass in the stainless steel sink gently so as not to make much noise and went to the fridge.

Cheese.

Milk.

Eggs.

Sausage.

"Ooh! Sausage!" She smiled and whispered to herself, reaching in and pulling it out with a _Hope no one minds_ look. She took a bite of the cold honey garlic sausage and smiled. It was still good.

Her pajamas consisted of plain black sweat pants and an old shirt of Stella's that said _Marine Mascot_ in white letters across the front.

"Let's see what else we have in here." Nami began digging, almost literally, through the draws and shelves of Mac's fridge. One could think she was ravenous when she was actually not very hungry at all. But her body was too used to her street life where meals were few and far in between. Foraging like an animal, scooping up everything you wanted and running for it; she was used to it. Not a fully stocked fridge.

Mac awoke to the faint sound of clattering. He was a light sleeper, and he'd trained himself to be alert to such things, not to mention his apartment would usually be dead silent. It was then he remembered his... guests.

He looked to his left and froze. Stella's serene face sat atop his chest peacefully, her hot breath spilling out onto his skin. She was snoring as lightly as humanly possible and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from... touching her in anyway. She let out a moan and scooted closer to him. Her left leg was intertwined with his and her curls were tied in a ponytail.

"Mmmmmmmac."

Mac lifted his eyebrows at the strange uttering. What was she dreaming about - no - don't go down that road!

"Sausage!" A whisper came from the kitchen.

Mac tried to get up, but it was hard to leave because A) He just plain old didn't want to leave Stella, and B) She had a death grip on him. When he finally pried himself out of her arms she furrowed her brows and moved to sleep in his still warm spot. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent and clutched his pillow. His face softened while he didn't even know it was tense as he leaned to kiss her forehead.

"Cold." Came her complaint.

"I'll be right back." He whispered, tucking a curl back and going.

"Does he do all his grocery shopping at three in the morning?" Nami frowned, going to the back.

"Ahem." Mac smirked, seeing the young girl's bottom half sticking out of his fridge.

Clunk!

"Cripes." She grumbled to herself, making sure she was neither bleeding nor had she cracked the glass. She hadn't. "Sorry."

"That's okay, but what are you doing up?" He asked quietly, pulling out a counter stool for her and her half eaten take-out of unknown origin. It smelled of Chinese but it was clearly not Asian food.

"I'm still getting out of my street instincts. If I were still out there, I'd be looking for an easy meal right about now." She shrugged.

"Well, there's no need to do that anymore, so you go back to bed and you'll wake up to a hot fresh breakfast." Mac smiled warmly. His heart swelled inside his chest as the girl's face lit up (much like Stella's did) when she found out she wouldn't have to go scraps hunting.

"Thanks... " She looked up at him with questioning eyes. He wasn't entirely sure what she was asking, but he was fairly certain it was if she could call him dad or not.

"You're welcome, sweetheart, now back to bed." He pointed, kissing the top of her head and putting the food and plates away.

"Night, dad." She yawned.

"See you in the morning, Nami."

"What was that?" Stella asked the second the bedroom door opened. She was still cuddling his unoccupied space.

"Nami was letting her inner raccoon get the better of her." Mac chuckled. Stella let out a faint laugh as well, getting the joke. "I sent her back to bed and told her she'd wake up to a hot breakfast."

"She loves you." Stella whispered meaningfully as he climbed back into bed with her. As soon as he was comfortable, she wrapped her arms around him again.

"Yeah... " Mac didn't know how the transition for best friends to honorary parents became so seamless, but he preferred things to be simple. He'd felt awkward sharing a bed with his best friend at first, but now it seemed fine with both of them. "I think I love her too."

"I'm impressed." He knew what she meant. He'd been so emotionally unattached in the past, it was hard for him to become attached to anything, let alone admit it. "I... Stella?" Gone. She was asleep again, snoring lightly. He simply kissed her crown of curls and fell back asleep with her. "Night, Stella."

Mac stood in front of his oven happier than he'd been in years. He was cooking three omelettes at the time; one plain, one with mushrooms and tomatoes, and one with cheese and salsa. He set the plates on the counter and slid the omelettes onto them easily.

The smell of food wafted into the rooms of the sleeping beauties, awaking each.

Stella was a little reluctant, but she wanted to see how Nami was. She also wanted to see Mac.

Nami was more used to waking up to the sounds of Manhattan in the morning and the smell of global warming than fresh eggs.

"Morning, girls." Mac smiled at each of them. Stella was hunched over and wearing his bathrobe, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Nami let out a growling yawn that ended in a mew, much like a cat's, that she didn't bother to cover.

"Morning." They both answered flatly.

"Orange juice for Nami, and coffee for Stell-"

Stella snatched the cup away and drank it greedily before he even said her name. She set it down and shook her head. "Mm... thanks Mac."

"You're welcome." He laughed, knowing lately she hadn't gotten her daily coffee intake ie: a cup at least every six hours.

"Don't laugh at me, you're just as bad." She smiled, sticking her tongue out at him.

Nami simply watched with amusement as to how childish her new parents could be when they wanted. She thought it was sweet, and she really wanted them to love each other. To her worldly eyes, they already did, they were just having some trouble showing it.

"What's for breakfast?" She piped.

"Omelettes. A plain one for me, a mushroom and tomato one for Stella, and you looked like the cheese and salsa type, to me." He said.

"Hm, you guessed right." Nami smiled as she dug in. The hot egg felt wonderful on her tongue as she slid the gelatinous protein down her throat. She'd never had such delicious, home cooked, food before, and she loved it. She loved how the almost too hot chunk of food hit the insides of her mouth and brought her to life. "Oh my - so good!!"

"I'm glad you think so." Mac sat down to his own omelette and dug in. The breakfast was more or less silent but not uncomfortable.

"Well, today's Saturday. What are we gonna do?" Stella asked.

"What are you two supposed to do about work? I'm ten, if social services finds me home alone we're screwed." Nami stated bluntly. The two adults looked at her with raised eye brows. "What?"

"It is true, but we have to talk to our bosses about this anyway. I don't see why you couldn't come to work with us, at least until this whole thing is straightened out." Mac suggested.

"Alright, Nami, why don't you get ready while your dad and I clean up?" Stella smiled. It felt natural to refer to herself and Mac as mom and dad, and her mother instinct was having a field day with it.

"Sure." Nami set her dishes in the sink and went back to her room, half to get ready, and half to give her parents some alone time.

"Mac, I don't know if I can give up CSI completely." Stella said with tilted brows.

"I know, and I think we should be able to work something out. She was right, our biggest problem will probably be social services. Not only will they be fishing for office politic scandals, but they sent that jackass who calls himself a doctor, who knows who else will come after her." Mac ran a hand through his floppy brown hair. "We'll have to be careful."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, Mac. Besides, I've always wondered what I'd be like as a stay at home mom." Stella smiled to herself.

"Really?" Mac asked surprisedly.

"Mac, every girl in the world can see herself as a mother, that's why we were put on earth. Of coarse I've thought about having kids." Stella laughed, like it was obvious.

"Hm... I never asked you, so I guess I never really thought about it." Mac looked up briefly to see her drop the plates in the sink, rinse them off and do other things that normally a wife a would do. He looked down for a moment, thinking about it. He'd had a wife before, but they weren't married for long. Watching Stella in his home, having a child there that they were going to take care of; he didn't dislike it.

"You okay, Mac?" Stella asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He smiled back without strain.

"Good."


	8. All Work and All Play

All Work and All Play Make an Improper Fraction

"Hey!" Lindsay greeted them brightly, setting her mail back down on the front desk. "How are you guys? Nami?"

"I'm good thanks." The girl smiled at the older woman, though she didn't look a heck of a lot older. The honey blond wasn't quite baby faced but her face was young like a girl's, or young lady's, and she wasn't particularly tall or short.

"That's good. So what brings you guys in? I didn't think you'd be back for a few days." Lindsay frowned, looking between the suddenly silent Stella and the minutely moody Mac. Her brows furrowed to match her frown as she picked up her mail. "What's wrong?"

"Lindsay, could you please take Nami up to our floor and show her around the lab?" Stella asked with the faintest trace of warmth in her voice that betrayed her serious face.

"Sure, Stella... " Lindsay nodded, drawing out the words and looking up at the older woman. She nodded again to show her understanding and placed her hand on Nami's shoulder. "Um... come on, Nami, I'll show you how to get two things from the vending machine with only one dollar."

"Thanks, Linds! Nami, be good for Aunt Lindsay!" Stella called after them as the elevator door closed.

"Aunt Lindsay?" Mac squinted with humor in his voice and a smile on his face.

"Yeah... what about it?" Stella asked.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Flack!" Angell jogged to catch up with him.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked seriously.

"I got something out of that what's-his-name. It was a slip-up, but I got it on record. He said that this E, or whoever, sent him to bring Nami and Stella back to Greece, and that the government would keep things under tabs. What the hell does that mean?" Jess frowned.

"I have no idea, but none of this adds up to me at all." He sighed, sitting at his desk while Angell perched on the ledge of it. "I don't get any of this, but the kid's in our hands now, I guess."

"Why would they want both Nami and Stella, let alone back in Greece?" Jess pondered aloud, biting her bottom lip on the inside.

"Jess."

Angell looked up to the dead serious Flack. "What's wrong?"

"I found something, but it's putting both of our careers at steak if I show you. Are you in?" He asked with worry in his voice.

"Of coarse." She nodded.

"This is a contract for the European government's _Project Hybrid_. This document in specific is a permit for a mister Edward Bonasera to test the still in development synthetic genes on any subject of his choice. The cells he injected would combine with the subjects DNA and make them practically invincible, like if you were to get the invincibility star in Mario but in real life." He quipped.

"So if her DNA is completely off record and composed of different parts, why would the government allow him to test them on a baby?" Jess asked sadly.

"This is a fax from the Greek government, signed by Edward Bonasera himself and sent directly to Gerrard, stating that we were to let 'the test subject' into the bust with us. Not only did they know we were going in, but they made sure Nami came with us. My guess is the machine gunfire was a way to kill her after things went wrong."

"So Gerrard's in on this too." Her dark expression told him she was deep in thought... but then it faded. "How'd you get these anyway?"

"Took them right off Gerrard's desk." Flack chuckled quietly.

"Oohlala, bad boy."

"One."

Nami turned the knob once to the left and two times to the right.

"Two."

She pushed it in, then pulled it out.

"Three!"

Bang!

"Boom!" Danny high-five-d Nami as two bags of chips came out! "What'd I tell ya? Works every time!"

"Danny, you're teaching her to steal." Lindsay frowned.

"It was your idea to teach her to get two things from the machine at once!" He said defensively.

"I wasn't serious!" She protested.

"Ah, who cares, it's all on the government, anyway! Am I right, or am I right, kiddo?" Danny smiled at the girl brightly. He was enjoying hanging out with her; it reminded him of when he and his older brother would hang out, except he was the older brother now.

"Right!" She chirped, pounding his fist.

"Okay, you two. Danny, you have work to do." Lindsay said firmly as Nami sat on the couch with her bag of chips. "Git!"

"Okay, see ya 'round, pumpkin." Danny half-hugged the girl to his side and dashed off.

"I like him, he's like a big brother, or a goofy uncle." Nami smiled as she popped another crunchy morsel into her mouth.

Lindsay smiled as she recognized the projecting of family into friends from Nami. "Yeah, he can be really silly sometimes."

"Well, you know, laughter is the best medicine besides medicine." Nami laughed to herself.

"Who said that?" Lindsay laughed at the genuinely funny expression.

"A friend of mine named C.C. He has glasses and plays chess in the park every Wednesday with a pigeon." Nami said plainly, not bothering to try and make it sound normal.

"Well, I'll keep my eyes out for him next time I'm there."

"Can we see some more of the lab?" Asked Nami.

"Sure." Lindsay stood up as Nami did and they made it to the door when Nami slipped her hand into hers. She looked down, and then at Nami, who didn't seem to have noticed the action at all.

"Hey Lindsay, hey... " Adam's smile disappeared as he forgot the girl's name completely. "It starts with... a letter... of the alphabet... "

"Nami." She smiled understandingly.

"Hi there, Nami." He smiled.

"You must be Adam the lab rat I've heard... a moderate amount about." Nami let go of Lindsay's hand just as absently as she'd taken it and went over to the bearded man. She wasn't even up to his shoulder. "What'cha doin?"

"Oh, I'm just processing some trace here." He said, slipping the beaker into the machine and pressing an almost random button. "Methylenedioxymethamphetamine."

"Ecstacy." Nami blurted. The two adults looked at her with concern. "What?! It's a semisynthetic of the amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs, a subclass of the phenethylamines."

"How would you know that?" Adam asked with concern.

"I know things." The ten year old dismissed with a shrug.

Lindsay blinked. "Could you program a fossil of a VCR?"

"Bonasera, _you're_ taking care of this... stray?" Gerrard squinched.

"She's not a stray dog!" Stella snapped, immediately defensive.

"Sorry, I just meant... you really want to do this?" The police chief asked again, hoping - in vain - the Greek would change her mind.

"Of coarse." Mac cleared his throat to stop her from going further.

"Both of them are in danger." Gerrard cut Mac off this time.

"We can't spare any officers for police protection, Mac."

"That's a damn lie, but it doesn't matter. I'll be their protection!"

"Excuse me?"

"Mac?"

"They're staying at my place since it's too dangerous to stay at Dt. Bonasera's. Now the reason we came here was to get a working plan, so are you gonna help us, or not?!" Mac shouted, standing now.

"Alright, alright, just don't blame me for anything that goes wrong." Gerrard muttered as he went into his drawer to get some papers. Rage built inside Mac at his blatant disregard for the girls - his girls. "Here, I've been keeping this for just such an unusual emergency. It's a pay-by-the-hour plan. If you and Bonasera want to clock in at any time, just mark the beginning and end of your shift hours on this sheet and turn them into me every week. You'll be payed by the hour and off call if you're not signed in. There is absolutely no overtime."

"Thank you. This is possibly the nicest thing you've ever done for us." Mac smirked at how the statement made Gerrard squirm. "We won't need overtime anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, just go take care of your-"

"Don't say it." Both Stella and Mac barked, making Gerrard jump.

"Be careful with that kid. There's a lot more behind this."

"Well, that was odd." Stella remarked as she walked along side Mac, their pay by the hour sheets in hand.

"Stella! Mac!" They heard a feminine voice call.

"Angell?"

"What's going on? I saw you come out of Gerrard's office." The brunette said worriedly.

"Yeah, we were getting out new work schedules. What's wrong, Angell?" Asked Stella.

Angell wanted to tell them, she really did, but she couldn't tell them while they were still in the NYPD building, let alone ten feet from Gerrard's office. "Um... I'll call you guys about it later, but it really is important."

"Okay, sure, call us." Stella nodded.

"Be careful." She whispered before turning and heading back to her desk. To a passer by, they'd never guessed she said anything.

"Why does everyone keep telling us that?"

"Ten point five!" Nami cheered as her paper airplane landed much farther away than Adam's or Danny's. "Boom!"

"She's a natural!" Danny ruffled her hair.

"How do you do it?" Adam asked with a smile.

"It's all in the wrist." She smiled, launching another one and watching it float down... and right into someone's hand. Everyone paled at the site, and had they been animals they would've folded their ears back and tucked their tails between their legs. "Hi... dad. Hi, mom."

"Adam! This is second time you've been flying airplanes in my lab, you have an explanation for this time, too?" He asked up to them, though his smile and joking tone said he wasn't mad.

"It was my idea!" Nami shouted down to her parents. "I was bored, so we decided to have a paper airplane contest."

"Come on, sweetie, we're going home." Stella called, wagging her fingers to signal the girl to come.

"Coming!" Nami called, though she didn't turn to go to the elevator or stairs. She went over the railing.

"Nami!"

"What?" Nami landed with perfect grace, like a cat, despite the high jump. For any normal person their legs would've snapped; they probably would have died... but not her. She was perfectly fine.

"Oh my - don't ever do that ever again!" Stella hugged her close, cradling her head. "Do you understand young lady? You could've killed yourself."

"Yes, mom." Nami sighed.

"Now come on, dad's taking us out for lunch."

"So how did you like the lab?" Mac asked Nami from across the table. She was seated next to Stella and sipping a large chocolate milk, which she had named chocolate moo juice.

"It was really fun! Uncle Adam taught me how to fold the paper airplanes and Uncle Danny taught me how to get two things from the machine with only one dollar." Nami smiled, finally sounding her age.

"That machine never has worked right." Mac frowned.

"Sounds like you had a great day." Stella smiled warmly.

"Yup, I don't know why everyone complains about work, I think it's really fun!"


	9. Who Let the Dog Out?

Who Let the Dog Out?

"Hey Mac, where's Stella?" Lindsay asked her boss casually, ducking under the crime tape with him.

"Stella's in court, trying to get custody of Nami as her official guardian. The case is in the bag, but she still has to appear." Mac murmured quietly. He'd wanted to go and be there with her. For her.

"_Stella, are you sure?" Mac asked for at least the third time. _

"_Mac, I need to do this, and if it means fighting, I will." Stella replied seriously. "Mac, you need to keep working your normal hours. Well, maybe not YOUR normal hours 'cause that means infinite overtime, but you shouldn't take the hour plan like I did. You need to keep working for the lab, at least for now."_

"_I just... I hate to leave... I wish I could be there for you." Mac struggled to say, rolling his hands as though it would make his words come easier. It didn't though. _

"_Mac, we're doing this. We're raising a little girl. A daughter." Stella took his hand in hers and gripped it lightly. "Our daughter." _

"_Our... " He looked at their hands, worrying Stella that she'd made a wrong move, but he assured her that she didn't by gripping her smaller hand back and smiling. "Our daughter."_

"_That's right, Mac. We're her parents now, and we're going to be there for her" Stella nodded. _

"_Okay." _

"I wish I could've been there, but Stella insisted I go back to my normal shift. Nami wanted to go too, but Stella didn't want her to be there, so-"

"Danny's taking her to the boardwalk fair." Lindsay finished for him with a nod of her head and a fond smile.

"She's become quite fond of everyone." Mac mused.

"She projects family into everyone?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"Yes, and Hawkes says that it's normal and that it's actually good for her. Apparently it's her way of putting her trust in us." Said Mac. "Otherwise, I'm sure she'd be more than wary of us."

"Well, I know she calls you and Stella mom and dad, which I find adorable." Lindsay laughed as Mac had the grace to look embarrassed and possibly even blushed a bit. "Stella told me how she called the guys Uncle Danny, Uncle Adam and Uncle Don. She finally seems to be adjusting to ten year old life, huh?"

"Yeah, hearing her say Uncle Danny and Uncle Adam, she finally sounded like a regular little girl." Mac smiled warmly.

"Aw, Mac, I never saw you as a father before, but I have to say you're a great daddy." The honey-blond smiled at her older friend.

"Well, she hasn't called my daddy yet." Mac said finally before coming up to the body. "Who's the vic?"

"Wallet and ID over here, says she's Victoria Parkers." Lindsay called. "Is this seriously just a plain old robbery? They're never plain old robberies!"

"It looks like a robbery, but things aren't always what they seem." Mac said with an eyebrow raised. "You start collecting evidence, I have to make a phone call."

"Say hi to Stella for me."

"Detective Stella Bonasera will have full custody of Nami Stellar... " The judge trailed off, adjusting her glasses.

"Bonasera." Stella filled in. "Nami Stellar Bonasera."

"Nami Stellar Bonasera." The judge smiled faintly. "Is there a secondary guardian?"

"Detective Mac Taylor is our police protection and we are staying at his home since it isn't safe to stay at mine." Stella replied.

"Emergency contacts? Family?"

"Lindsay Monroe, Danny Messer, Donald Flack, Jessica Angell, Sheldon Hawkes, Sid Hammerback, Adam Ross." Stella listed the names off automatically.

"And these people are... ?"

"Our team and the only family we have." Stella said firmly.

"Very well. Nami Stellar Bonasera it is."

Stella walked out of the courtroom confidently, holding her purse just so. Her skirt suit was black with a white blouse and her heels were black strapped that hooked around her ankles and wove over her feet.

Bzzzzzzzzzzz!

Stella pulled her iphone out of her purse and looked at the name.

Mac.

"Hey Mac." She greeted sweetly, letting her smile seep into her voice. "What's up?"

"_Just a plain old robbery."_

"Really? They're never plain old robberies." Stella remarked.

"_I know, Lindsay said so too. How'd the custody hearing go?"_

"She's our daughter, Mac."

"Alright kiddo, we've had hotdogs, slushies, been on every ride that goes faster than five miles per hour, and now you want a chili dog?! What, you got a stomach o' cast iron steel?!" Danny asked the tiny girl incredulously. She probably weighed ninety pounds soaking wet and she'd eaten just as much as he had and gone on all the sickening rides. "You sure? If you get sick-"

"I won't get sick!" Nami insisted, looking up at him with puppy eyes. "Please, Uncle Danny? I've never had this kind of food before! Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeez?"

"Okay, but you know I'm only allowed to spoil you 'cause I'm your fave uncle, right?" Danny took out his wallet and smiled as Nami simply nodded vigorously, still sporting her cute face.

"Yes, Uncle Danny." She smiled, taking her hand out of his for the first time that day only to wrap her arms around his while he used the other to pay. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He said, handing her the rather gross looking hot dog. "You know, your mom likes hot dogs too."

"Mm, I got the feeling she did." Nami concurred, taking a bite.

"Come on, let's head home. If I don't get you back on time your daddy's gonna have a fit-"

"Wait!"

"What?" Danny looked to where Nami was looking; a dog was tied to a pole at the end of the boardwalk, where the wood ended and the concrete began. It was a scruffy little thing with butterscotch fur and sad brown eyes. He was small, even for a Norfolk Terrier; probably a pup. He was a little mangy here and there, but otherwise still cute.

"Hey!"

A group of teenage boys came over, laughing like maniacs and dumping their soda on him. "Soak him!"

The pup whined and tried to run but the rope was short.

"Hey!" Nami handed Danny her chili dog and ran over to them.

"This can't end well." Danny muttered with wide eyes, jogging after her. He stopped a few a feet away.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" She shouted at the older boys.

"Why should we?" The oldest one asked; he was a large, acne ridden, greasy haired boy who looked fourteen at best.

"You-" Nami clenched her fist and look into the boy's listless brown eyes.

Her eyes were smoldering. The more he looked the more it burned. The fiery amber shot through his heart like a flaming sword and tore through him, leaving only pain. His limbs felt heavy, all of a sudden, and his throat was dry. "Come on, guys, leave the dog alone."

"Man, what are you - oh, I see. I guess she's kind of hot." A younger, skinny, African-American boy remarked with a high, prepubescent voice. He couldn't have even been twelve years old.

"I'm ten, you prepubescent pervert." Nami dead panned, giving him a colder glare.

"Meow, girl's got a temper. I like that in a chick." The third boy, another skinny, young boy of about eleven remarked.

"Look boys, why don't you go home so your mother's can tell ya how to treat a lady." Danny growled protectively.

"He your daddy or somethin' princess?" The oldest asked, trying not to tremble under her still sizzling gaze.

"Not so much, but he doesn't get to kick your asses until after I'm done with you." She muttered seriously.

"What's a cutie like you gonna do?" The boy smirked.

"Oh, for goodness sakes." Nami rolled her eyes and shoved them each out of the way so she could look at the dog.

"Hey!" The eleven year old didn't even get within arms reach before Nami wheeled around and smacked him right in the jaw.

"If it's any consolation, that tooth had a cavity, so I probably saved you a lot of pain in the long run." She murmured, looking at the littler terrier's fur. "You need a bath, sweetie."

"You little-" The oldest boy went for her but Danny grabbed him and threw him in the other direction.

"You come near her again, I'll arrest everyone o' your greasy asses, now get outta here!" Danny barked, showing them his badge.

"Yo, we're gone anyway!" They shouted, running away.

"That's a heck of a right hook you got, kid, but-"

"Watch my language, I know." Nami finished. "He needs a bath and medical attention."

"Nami-"

"He clearly doesn't have an owner, and this," She held up a clod of muddy fur to show a swollen bruise that was turning a red-ish purple. "Looks infected. We can't just leave him here."

"Your parents are gonna string me from the thirty-fifth floor by my teeth."

"Danny?!" A loud, angry shout came from Mac's office. "Danny!"

"Hey, Mac." Danny smiled nervously.

"Where's Nami? I told you to be back by two, it's two thirty, where the hell is she?" He snarled, just about ready to attack.

"Relax Mac, we were back before you so Nami and Lindsay are hangin' out. Maybe they're in the little girl's room." Danny shrugged. "I'll go look for 'em now."

"You do that." Mac mumbled, watching the younger man go out. "And bring Nami back here... I want to hear how her day was."

"You got it, Mac-daddy!" Danny shouted.

"Don't call me that!"

"Oh, he's so cute." Lindsay smiled, scratching the little terrier behind the ears.

"I know, right?" Nami smiled, spraying the dog off. She lathered his caramel-brown fur with the shampoo she'd found oh-so-randomly that smelled of coconut. The pup looked only a little uncomfortable.

"Do you think your parents will let you keep 'im?" Asked Lindsay.

"I don't know. Dad's apartment complex allows pets, while mom's old one didn't, but I'm not sure." Nami frowned and turned to Lindsay with a serious look. "I only moved in a little bit ago, and mom's just getting the custody documented today... is this too much to ask?"

"I'm sure your parents will be proud of you for helping him, and if you can't keep him we'll all help find him a good home, right boy?" Lindsay asked in baby voice, holding his muzzle.

"Yeah, they both seem like dog people to me." Nami said with a smile again. She turned off the water and toweled him off, being careful of his visible injuries.

"It wasn't really a date at the time, but technically, their first date was at a dog show." Lindsay smiled back with a nod.

"Really?" Nami gasped, to which Lindsay nodded again. "I'll have to ask them about that."

"Um... if you do... tell them Uncle Danny told you... not me."

"Hi Nami, how was your day with Uncle Danny?" Mac smiled, his heart warming at seeing his girl. His daughter.

"Good! We went on all the fun rides, had hot dogs and slushies for lunch, and then I wanted to try a chili dog." Said Nami.

"You shouldn't eat yourself sick." Mac frowned.

"I was not sick, I was gastronomically satisfied." She smirked.

"And... ?"

"And... I found this... dog... " She started with a twisted mouth.

"And you want to keep him?" Mac raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you guess?" She cringed.

"He's not hiding well." Mac pointed to where the mutt was poking his snout around the corner of the couch to watch.

"Please, dad? He's been beaten pretty badly, and he was just tied to a post at the board walk!" Nami clasped her hands together.

"Nami, it's a huge responsibility to take in a dog, let alone a puppy. Not to mention I don't think home is big enough for all four of us." Mac scratched the back of his neck.

"Please, daddy?"

That was it. He was a goner.

"Let me talk to mom." He sighed in defeat.

"_Hello?"_

"Stella, our daughter found a dog." Mac dead panned right off the bat, sitting down in his chair heavily.

"_Is this a problem? You said so yourself you wanted us to be safe when you weren't home, what better way than with a dog?"_

"He's a stray pup, Stella, and she found him tied to a post at the fair." Mac said flatly again, hoping Stella would agree with him.

"_Oh, poor li'l guy. Mac, we have to take him in!"_

She didn't agree with him. "Stella... "

"_Mac, why not? It would be a great way to help Nami adjust to kid life and teach her responsibility at the same time."_

"I was hoping you'd back me up on this." He smiled faintly.

"_Sorry Mac, I gotta go with the cuteness factor."_

"I'm not cute?" He asked before thinking.

"_Well, yeah, but the ratio between you and a puppy is hard."_

"I'm gonna bring Nami home now, see you there?" Mac asked almost hopefully, looking forward to seeing her home.

"_See you there." _

"Come on, honey, we're going home." Mac waved with his phone.

"Is he coming?" Nami asked, pointing to the stray.

"Yes, he's coming." Mac smiled.

"Really? Oh, thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" Nami leapt up and hugged Mac as tightly as she possibly could.

"You're welcome, sweetheart, just remember he's your responsib-"

"Where was yours and mom's first date?"

"Date?! I guess at a dog show but... who... ?" Mac frowned in thought. "Lindsay!"

Clunk!

Mac and Nami turned to see their whole team crowded against the wall of his office, but disperse as soon as they looked, leaving poor Lindsay all alone to be stared at. She waved nervously and then bolted.

"C'mon boy! We're going home!" Nami held out her arms for the pup. He ran and jumped into them with limited vigor, but vigor nonetheless.

"If he goes on the floor or chews one of my ties-"

"Mom will laugh herself to death!"


	10. The Procter and the Protected

The Procter and the Protected

"Oh, you are just the cutest little thing, aren't you? Yes, you are!" Stella cooed to the puppy, scratching him behind the ears.

"We're home." Mac opened the door and let the girls in first. He shut the door behind him and unconsciously locked it with one hand.

"How's this... " Nami trailed off, frowning ahead at nothing in particular.

"What's wrong, honey?" Stella asked her daughter.

"I didn't name him." Nami answered plainly.

"Well, let's see if we can give him a name right now." Stella sat beside Nami and yet-to-be-named on the couch.

"What about... Astrophel?" Mac suggested.

"What?" Both women dead panned with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I was just thinking of Astrophel and Stella, as in when Stella was used in that book of poems and songs by Sir Phillip Sydney." Mac explained.

"That's great, Mac, but we are not naming a Terrier puppy Astrophel, even if it is Greek for Of the Stars." Stella said with a smirk. "Alexander means protector, or defender of mankind."

"Damon, meaning constant and loyal." Nami suggested.

"Why are all of these Greek names, anyway?" Mac squinched.

Nami shrugged. "We could always go with a classic, like Prometheus, or Artamus or Agamemnon. Would that be any better?"

"What about Procter?" Asked Mac.

"Procter, like protector?" Nami turned to her father, who nodded. "I like it! What about you, boy? Would you like Procter for a name?"

The pup simply let a puff out and nodded as only a dog could by looking at the ground and back up again curtly. His tail wagged.

"Procter it is!" Nami said happily.

Procter yipped in reply, seemingly satisfied with his new name.

"You and Procter stay here and relax while your dad and I work on supper." Stella smiled.

"M'kay." Nami smiled back, happier than she could ever recall.

"We'll have to get some dog food, bowls, a leash, and a bed next time we're out. I guess he can have the table scraps for now." Mac chuckled, though he only received a whine in return.

"He can sleep with me." Nami piped.

"We should get him a bed just in case, anyway." Said Mac.

"Mac, I got a call from the judge today. Child services are going to come for a check up next week." Stella said quietly, touching his arm.

"Okay, we should be alright." He mumbled, equally hushed.

"I didn't tell her yet." Said Stella.

"It'll be okay. Why don't you watch tv with Nami while I make supper?" He smiled at her warmly, his eyes soft and his words tender.

"O-okay, sure." Her eyes flitted around like a butterfly as she looked down and went to the living room, her cheeks beginning to heat at the tenderness of his words and tone.

"I'll make some coffee." He said over his shoulder.

"Okay." Stella called as she sat beside Nami, who was entranced by the cartoon playing. The two of them, dressed in blue jeans and black shirts, really could have been relatives if it weren't for their difference in looks; one clearly being Greek-something and another looking almost Asiatic, but not quite. "What'cha watching?"

"I don't really know." Nami said quietly, her voice laced with fatigue. She held Procter on her lap and her body was shaking slightly.

"You're tired, you've had a big day. You should go to bed early tonight." Stella almost whispered.

"I know that child services will be coming soon." Nami started seriously. Stella wasn't caught off guard; more concurring. "I'm scared. If they take me away... "

"Hey, hey, don't talk like that." Stella shook her curly head, bringing her daughter's head to rest on her shoulder as she rubbed her shoulder and back. "That's not going to happen."

"Mom... ?" Stella looked at her. "Do you love me?"

"You shouldn't even ask things like that." Stella whispered. "Of coarse I do. We all do."

"Dad too?" Nami asked.

"Of coarse your dad loves you, now why are you asking these silly questions?" Stella asked with a frown. Motherhood, officially, was new to her. The constant fear of doing something wrong or making the wrong choice was always lingering inside her, just waiting to tear her heart to pieces. Had she done something wrong?

"No, I know, it's just that... you know." Nami trailed off, looking down and letting her left hand ball into fist.

"I know, sweetie, I know." Stella felt pain like nothing else hit her. Hit her hard. The pain of seeing her child in pain. It was new. It hurt. Being an orphan is a permanent scar that leaves you with an almost equally permanent feeling of being unwanted. The cold, unsympathetic term for it was abandonment issues, but that did nothing to help it.

Nami's breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as her heart did the same. She was asleep. Procter sensed this and also set his head down on her leg for a nap. Stella continued to cradle her daughter's head for a moment before laying her head down on a pillow and going back to the kitchen where Mac had a mug of coffee waiting for her. She looked at it and then at his with a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"What?" He asked.

"You used to take cream in your coffee. Not anymore, though... now you only have black, two sugars." She mumbled. "Why?"

"After Claire died, I guess I just stopped liking cream." Said Mac.

"I know it was after Claire died, but I want to know why." Stella pushed, wanting to know worse and worse the more he stalled.

"Well... Claire used to put cream in my coffee every morning, and I guess I grew accustomed to it. After she died, I never went back to cream, just sugar." He shook his head, having never really thought about it before.

Stella nodded with the faintest trace of a smile. "I'll have to start."

"What?" He asked suddenly, his head shooting up.

"I'll have to start putting cream in your coffee for you." She smiled as she took a sip of her own. The hot liquid spilled down her throat. "Nami asked me if we loved her."

"She did?" Mac asked with... fear(?)... in his voice. What was he afraid of? That she didn't love them?

"It comes with being an orphan, Mac, and it might never go away. The feeling that you're nothing but a burden on the world. That no one wants, or will ever want you, or love you." Stella looked to where Nami was sleeping on the couch with Procter snuggled under her arm safely. "It'll take time before she can accept that we love her. As family."

"She can take all the time she wants." Mac whispered to Stella.

"We can wait."

"Ready for supps?" Nami asked Procter, who nodded.

"Sit." Nami pointed. The pup did so, and earned a scrap of chicken and a pat on the head as a reward. "Good boy."

"Come on, Nami, eat your food. Procter can only have so much." Mac said, pushing her plate towards her. "You need to eat."

"He's right." Stella agreed.

"Look who's talking?" Mac puffed. "You weigh... a hundred?"

"A hundred and fifteen, thank you." Stella corrected him.

"Oh, what a huge difference." Mac rolled his eyes playfully. "You're only a hundred and five pounds lighter than me."

"Can I have some more juice, please?" Nami asked, cutting through their almost smotheringly flirtatious air.

"Sure, I'll get it for you, now eat your potatoes." Mac pointed.

"Thanks, dad." Nami nodded, digging in a she was told.

"You're welcome, honey." He said automatically.

Nami felt her hand being nudged by something cold and wet. She looked down to see Procter nudging her hand and whining. "Alright, just one more treat, then that's it."

"Here you go." Mac set the glass down.

"Thank you." Nami said quietly.

Silence settled in on them for a short while before Stella spoke up. "What are we going to do about school?"

"Oh, I've finished the legal United States public school curriculum." Nami responded nonchalantly.

"What?" Both Stella and Mac stared.

"What else was I going to do in the orphanage until I became a Basilisk? I taught myself everything, and technically, I've finished grade twelve." Nami explained with a coy smile.

"Well I guess we don't have to worry about that then, but no running off to Harvard just yet." Stella smiled.

"I'm ten, I haven't even sent an application." Nami dead panned. "I had a feeling that even if I had they wouldn't have taken it all too seriously."

Procter whined for another treat with desperate eyes.

"No, Proctor, I told you the last one was it. Go drink your water."

"He shouldn't have drank so much." Mac grumbled as he heard the whining and scratching at the door early that morning. At about three AM to be precise.

"No, Procter, sh!" A quick whisper came as he heard the dog's claws click on the hardwood and its shadow disappear.

"Nami?" Mac opened the door to find his daughter whip her head around and look up at him with wide and slightly guilty eyes.

"I'm sorry, dad, he got off my bed 'cause he had to go and I let him out but he came straight to your room." Nami explained quietly.

"It's okay, honey. I'm not mad." Mac smiled comfortingly. "I'll take him out, you go back to bed."

"But-"

"No buts, you need rest. Bed, young lady." Mac ordered warmly.

"Yes, sir." Nami saluted, handing him the pup and going back to her room with a happy smile.

"What are we going to do with you?" Mac asked him.

"Mac?" Stella called from their bed.

"I'm sorry, Stell, I was trying not to wake you. Procter has to go." He whispered, going back over to her. "That's two nights in a row I've woken you up, isn't it?"

"It's alright, it comes with the whole parenting experience." She laughed.

"I don't suppose I could just hold him out a window and hope it doesn't hit anyone."

Procter huffed, obviously taking offense to the comment.

"Sorry, it was a joke. Let's go." Mac grabbed a hoodie out of the closet that now held his and Stella's clothes and pulled it on easily. He bent and kissed Stella's curls. "Go back to sleep."

Too late.

"I'm not watching." Mac mumbled as the dog lifted his tiny leg hesitantly. "Go ahead."

Procter whined, not enjoying the presence of the other male. He'd already deemed himself the alpha male; protector of the girl, and her lovely mother, yet this man kept asserting himself as the alpha-male. The nerve. The nerve of him thinking he had the right of family protector. Procter was a good name for a protector! Mac...? Yeah, right.

"Come on, boy, Nami and will be missing you and we don't want to start worrying Stella." Mac called.

Procter followed the man grudgingly. Stella. That was the name of the girl's mother, right. He could smell how she and this Mac character were around each other. They reeked of pheromones, or what the humans referred to as _unresolved sexual tension_, and... lust. It was embarrassing to be around them sometimes, like at dinner that night. The way a master of body language - such as Procter - could tell how they were; hearts speeding up, heat coming to their happy faces. Gross.

Still, he felt he was obligated to protect Nami and Stella, and Mac was interfering. He supposed that, in all fairness, Mac did love them just as much as Procter did, so he would give him the benefit of the doubt.

This time.

"Eggs?" Nami lifted her nose to the air to smell eggs, just as delicious as the day before, being sizzled in a frying pan. She got up eagerly and opened her door to see her dad and dog, ever the protectors, watching the eggs carefully. The door beside her's opened to reveal a tired looking Stella. "Morning, mom."

"Mm... good morning, sweetie." Stella held her arm out for Nami and gave her a sleepy half-hug. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, and better than you, it would seem." She laughed.

"Yeah, laugh it up at your old mom, I need my coffee." Stella laughed as well, though sleep was heavy on her normally bright voice.

"Right here." Mac held her cup for her and tapped her on the shoulder, standing with it expectantly with a wise grin.

"Smart-arse." Stella smirked, taking it gratefully, her fingers brushing his lightly.

"Is breakfast ready yet?" Asked Nami.

"Yep, take a seat." Mac pulled out her stool and patted it. She did so as he set the plate in front of her and slid the scrambled eggs onto it.

"I know I never mentioned this, but-"

"You like sunny-side-up." Mac finished for Stella as he put two perfect ones in front of her. "I know."

"How... ?" She blinked.

"I've made you breakfast before, remember?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I remember." She muttered, blushing slightly.

"Morning Procter, were you good for daddy?" Nami asked her puppy as he took his rightful place beside her. He nodded. "Good."

"He was great, but I'm hoping he doesn't wake mom the next time he needs to go out." Mac looked at the dog pointedly.

Procter looked down almost shamefully and nodded his apology.

"Here." Mac offered him a piece of toast, which he took as a peace offering.

"I-" All three heads turned to look at the phone as it rang ominously, breaking their happy air. Stella picked it up. "Hello?"

"_Miss Bonasera, I apologize for calling so early, but child services have insisted on doing their inspection toady. They'll be there around three in the afternoon." _

"Wait, they said next week." Stella said with an edgy tone.

"_I'm sorry, they insisted on today. There's nothing I can do."_

"Alright, thank you." Stella hung up and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Mac and Nami both asked.

"Child services are coming this afternoon to check up on us." She said bitterly, going to stab one of her eggs but stopping in time. Her face softened as she took a bite of it gently, savoring their taste. "Good."

"Alright, we-" All three turned to the phone as it rang once again.

"If it's about child services I'm not answering." Stella proclaimed.

"Hello?" Mac asked.

"_Mac, it's Angell." _

"Angell, what do you have?" Mac motioned for Stella to come to him. She nodded and told Nami finish her breakfast in front of the tv with Procter. Once Nami was out of earshot, even for her, Stella went to Mac's side and listened in.

"_First of all, Stella, have you ever known anyone by Edward?"_

"No, never." Stella replied.

"_There was a document sent directly to Gerrard signed by Edward Bonasera, a Greek government official who started Project Hybrid, which is why Nami's genes are chemically engineered."_

"Edward Bonasera? Like my last name?" Stella asked.

"_Yeah, we did some research on him. He's a Greek man, mid forties or so, and he's applied for adoption a number of times but... "_

"It didn't work out... why was he looking to adopt?" Asked Stella.

"_I'm not quite sure, we haven't found anything yet so we asked Adam to do some computer coding. In any case, he's high up in Greece's government system. I'm not sure exactly what position he plays but it's important enough to give him unquestionable authorization." _

"The Greek government?" Stella squinted, her brows knitting together. "How does that fit into this, and why is Nami so important?"

"_That freak calling himself Dr. Newman was sent by Edward, or E, to bring you and Nami back to Greece where he would have his government take care of everything. They've been tracking Nami for years, possibly since birth, and there's another thing... there was a direct order to Gerrard about Nami. They planned on having her at the bust at the Concert Hall. They knew she would be there, and I think the machine gun was to try and cover things up. Nami was probably the target but Mac... I guess you just got in the way." _

"Lovely." Mac muttered. He'd gotten a new scar for nothing... well, not nothing. He'd much rather have the scar than Nami having it.

Stella felt rage build inside of her. These people had endangered her family. They'd tried to murder them; shoot her daughter to death.

"_I'm not sure what's going on, but it was Edward Bonasera who initiated the Hybrid Project, and I'm guessing he's the gang leader, E, Nami and what's-his-name were referring to. Flack got the information right from under Gerrard's nose. If he finds out about this, we're all screwed." _

"I'm sorry, Angell, you and Flack shouldn't have to pay for this." Said Stella.

"_It's okay, Stella. Don and I agreed that we're in on this." _

"We appreciate it, Angell. Social services is coming today for an early check up on Nami and we're a bit worried." Said Mac.

"_I understand. We'll see what else we can do, until then, take care. Oh! And tell Nami Uncle Don and Aunt Jess say hi!" _

"We will, take care, Angell." Mac chuckled, hanging up.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Stella asked him worriedly.

"We're going to take care of our child, then we're going to settle things with Gerrard." Mac said calmly, putting his hands on her arms.

"Okay... " Stella looked down, still worried. "What if they-"

"Nothing's going to happen Stella. We're all here, one family."

"One family."

"Family."


	11. Of Families and Frauds

Of Families and Frauds

"How's my makeup?" Stella asked frantically.

"Fine."

"Hair?"

"Good."

"Clothes?"

"Mom, what are you so worried about?" Nami asked her with tilted eyebrows and a smile.

"Oh, I don't even know, I'm just... nervous!" She sighed, still fumbling with her earrings. "I can't even get these in!"

"Try the sterling silver ones, then." Nami smiled, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed childishly. Unlike her mom, Nami had simply put on some nice black jeans and a navy blue long sleeved shirt that contrasted with her eyes to make them even more captivating than normal.

"How do I look?" Stella asked, looking at herself and her daughter in the mirror. She had on a black blouse and a black skirt with white flowers at an angle by the bottom. She had open toe black heels and a matching diamond star necklace on a sterling silver band.

"You look fine, mom, you shouldn't worry so much." Nami's smile widened as she leaned back on the bed to support her weight on her arms. Her feet continued to kick childishly.

"You're right, I don't know why I'm so worried." Stella let her shoulders droop and worried expression overcome her face again. She sat on the bed beside Nami, who got up behind her and began to place her curls just so. "I mean it's just you, Procter, your dad and a couple of social worker stiffs."

"Maybe it's because of dad, you're so worried." Nami smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked confusedly.

"Well, you and dad haven't been particularly romantic with each other, but tonight you're going to have to put the whole perfect couple thing on, won't you?" Nami continued to adjust her mom's hair, curl by curl; taking one and putting where she thought it would fit, occasionally tugging on one to watch it bounce back into place.

"Don't play matchmaker with your dad and I, little missy." Stella squinched though her mouth twisted into a bright smile anyway.

"You and dad share a bed, you're my parents, I don't see why you're not a couple. Everyone at the lab says you two have been in love for... forever." Nami laughed lightly.

"Nami!" Stella's jaw dropped as heat rushed to her cheeks, as she could see in the mirror.

"You love each other." Nami stated confidently.

"I-I... " Stella's eyes met Nami's in the mirror warmly. "I love him."

"And he loves you." Nami sang happily.

"I... I don't really know. We've been such good friends for all this time, not to mention he's my boss, but we never really considered dating. Maybe we didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, or maybe I just never thought he was interested, but either way, we became even closer over time, and then we met you." Stella, still looking into the mirror, reached behind her and twirled a lock of Nami's black hair. "And we've never been closer or happier."

"I bet he's nervous as you are."

Procter pawed Mac's face with an unhappy expression. The man had laid on the couch for the past hour, since the girls had gone into their room. His face was set into a solid look of perplexed unhappiness. He was staring at the ceiling like he was trying to will it into spontaneous combustion.

"Procter, I sure hope everything will be okay." Mac meant this in more ways than one; they certainly couldn't lose Nami, and he'd never felt so nervous around Stella. Being foster parents was one thing, next was sharing a bed, then it was just a little more affectionate, and now they had to be the perfect loving couple, parents, family, etc? Thinking about it, they'd kind of done the reverse-process of a couple. Oi...

Procter simply laid himself down and waited for Mac to move.

"Okay, it's almost time." Nami walked over to the door.

"I think I'm ready." Stella stepped out cautiously, listening to the clack of her heels on their floor.

"Stella, Nami, you girls ready?" Mac asked, though his breath caught in his throat. He stared at Stella with a surprised but not displeased look. It struck him more than ever before how beautiful she really was. "Stella, you... you look great."

"Thanks, honey." She mumbled as the heat of flattery came to her cheeks, feeling his words of admiration sneak into her stomach to go along with her blustering butterflies.

"Procter, that is a lovely scarf." Nami remarked with a smirk.

Procter looked up at her with flattened eyes, showing how much he disliked it. Were he able to speak, he would've complained how Mac hadn't been dressed up in some stupid scarf. Stupid Mac...

"You don't look too bad yourself, Mister Taylor." Stella adjusted his collar, taking in his scent as subtly as she could.

"I was going to wear a tie, but _someone_ decided it was expensive looking toilet paper." Mac grumbled, looking at Procter, who smiled.

Knock! Knock!

Stella, Mac and Nami all looked at the door with blank expressions. They stood frozen for a good few minutes.

"Should I or... ?" Mac looked at his girls to see them nodding vigorously, urging him to get the door. "Okay, then."

"Mr. Taylor?" Two women in identical blazers and pencil skirts asked. They seemed to be sisters or fraternal twins, everything from their wardrobe to their faces opposite of the other. They both had somewhat pretty and sharply defined faces, though one had blond hair, one chestnut-brown, and they both had freckles across pale skin. They had British accents, the brunette with a weaker one.

"Yes, you must be from child services." He replied.

"Yes, I'm Agent Olivia Chamberlain, and this is-"

"Julia Anniston." The blond put in.

"Please, come in." He held his hand out and let them in, closing the door behind him.

"Our colleague, Agent Stanley Klein will be along later. I'm afraid he's running late in traffic." Said Chamberlain.

"Of coarse, I understand." Mac nodded.

"Miss Bonasera? And... Miss Bonasera." Anniston smiled.

"Stella, please, it's nice to meet you both." She smiled, shaking their hands but never leaving Nami's side, who clutched her hand.

"And you must be Nami." Both agents leaned to look at Nami with warm smiles. Their smiles were warm and friendly, but Nami didn't buy into them for a second.

"Hi, nice to meet you." She said quietly, shaking their hands.

"Such a polite young lady." They both said simultaneously.

"Can we offer you anything? Coffee? Tea?" Asked Mac.

"Coffee, would be fine, thank you." They said together again.

"May I ask why the check up was rescheduled for today, rather than next week?" Stella asked as she took a seat at the counter, along with everyone else.

"I'm afraid all we can tell you is that we had orders to make it today." Said Chamberlain.

"I see." Stella said seriously. She noticed the coffee maker ding and got up to get the mugs. She set four on the counter as Mac filled them with coffee. She reached into a cupboard and brought out the sugar and cream. "Cream? Sugar?"

"Nothing for me, thanks." Said Chamberlain.

"Two sugar, two cream for me, thank you." Said Anniston.

"Sure." Stella dispensed them easily and came to the last one, putting in two sugars and one cream.

"Who's is that?" Mac asked her with knitted brows.

"Yours." She smiled, handing it to him with a smile.

"Thanks, honey." He took it was an even bigger smile sat down beside Chamberlain to look at Stella and Nami.

"So, how are things?" The brunette asked, taking a sip.

"Things are fantastic." They all said earnestly. Mac and Stella looked at each other. "Things have never gone better for us."

"Nami, you like it?"

"Happier than I've ever been." She said quietly but happily. The whole thing was tiring and she was in no mood to discuss such things with complete strangers on her dad's day off.

"That's good. How are you adjusting?" Asked Anniston.

"Well, thank you." She nodded. "I'm good."

"Mr. Taylor, Miss Bonasera, how exactly are two handling things as parents?"

"I'd say better than we'd ever expected." Stella blinked, looking to Mac who shared her expression.

"We'd like to speak to you in separate rooms." Said both agents.

"I'm not sure we'd feel comfortable with that." Stella frowned, instinctively leaning toward Nami and rubbing her shoulder. "I'm sure you're aware of our position and the incident we had with your department psychologist."

"We understand, it's simply mandatory protocol."

"I-"

"Miss Bonasera, I'm afraid that if you don't agree we'll have to do this at our department." Chamberlain said coldly, much less friendly than how she'd portrayed herself earlier.

"That won't be necessary. Where are we supposed to do this?" Mac asked, walking over to Stella and putting his hands on her shoulders. She felt a surge of pride from the action and smirked.

"If you could simply go into one of the rooms while we talk to Nami alone, that would be all that is necessary." Said Anniston.

"Fine."

"So, Nami." Chamberlain began, looking between a file and the actual girl. Clouds began to gather outside, making the room fittingly dark except for the lamp beside the couch. "How old are you?"

"Ten." Nami answered curtly.

"How do you like it-"

"With all due respect Agent Chamberlain, I know how this works, so if you please, simply tell me what you need to know." Nami dead panned with dark eyes focused on the two women in front of her.

"I see." They both frowned at the young girl. "Very well."

"Would you say your necessities are covered?"

"Of coarse, and then some."

"Are you happy here?"

"Happier than I ever thought I'd be."

"Are your parents-"

"My parents are wonderful."

"Mr. Taylor? Miss Bonasera?"

"My _mother_ and _father_. I love them."

"Do they love you?"

"Yes."

"You hesitated."

"It was an uncalled for question."

"My apologies. Would you like to stay here?"

"More than anything."

An eerie silence settled into the room while Nami and the two agents stared each other down. The clouds were ready to burst and a few drops had already escaped to tap on the window.

"Anything else?"

"I can't see." Stella whispered, struggling to look through the crack of their bedroom door.

"Here." Mac put a hand on her shoulder to put her in the optimal place to see. He was leaned over her, standing behind her with his head above hers. Their height difference wasn't huge, especially with her wearing heels, but they were pressed together like bread for a sandwich. A thin sandwich. Stella was leaned over ever so slightly, her behind right against Mac, who was also leaning over. Her hair smelled of black berry bushes and raspberry leaves freshly rained on and was surprisingly soft. His senses were all blaring and his minds was on high alert to the woman and her proximity. He hadn't been so close to a woman in quite a while and the heat he felt from her was... oh, heaven help him.

"Thanks." She whispered, her heart thundering inside her chest. She could feel her body against his and it evoked many a dirty thought.

"Can you hear anything?" Mac asked with his gruff a little more gruff than normal and twice as sexy.

"No, not really." She held her breath, half trying to hear their conversation and half concentrating on Mac's breath in her ear.

"That's enough!" Nami's voice burst angrily. They heard the door open and close and saw half of her whip around. "Who are you?"

"I'm Agent Klein." A man replied.

"Yes, of coarse." Nami muttered. She sounded as though something were wrong, but the tone was more like recognition.

"We aren't quite sure if it's suitable for a child your age to stay with two detectives working the hours they do." Klein put in.

"Well, perhaps that's a difference in opinion then." Nami rebutted.

"Nami, you know that if anything happens, you have an obligation to tell us." Klein said firmly.

"Of coarse, and whether I'm obligated or not, I'll tell you that I love my parents. My mother, and my father." Nami said equally sure.

"That's our girl." Stella smiled. Her hand on the door was covered by Mac's which slid down and covered hers warmly.

"Nami, have your parents ever done or said anything... mean?"

"How dare you... we're done. I'd like you to leave now."

Stella and Mac watched as Klein made to move toward her. They moved like two flashes as Klein moved in slow motion.

"Mr. Taylor? Miss Bonasera?" He asked, surprised.

"Back away from my daughter, Agent Klein." Mac held out his hand and stood in front of Stella, who stood in front of Nami.

"Mr. Taylor, I was simply going ask her if-"

"She clearly said that you're done. So please leave." Mac growled.

"Nami, you know how to contact us if-"

"Do you have a card?" She asked. While still slightly shielded by her mother she reached and grasped the card by its edges. "Thank you."

"Good night." Mac slammed the door behind them. "Nami?"

"Run this through the system." She said as she slipped it into a plastic baggy she got out of a drawer. "I thought I recognized him."

"Who, sweetie?" Stella asked. "Klein? Is he part of the gang?"

"He's the one who put us in the cages. He was in charge of shipping us and making sure we, as cargo, weren't damaged too badly." Nami started. "His real name is Damien Long, and he's in CODIS."

"That's why you sounded like you recognized him when he first walked in." Said Mac.

"Yeah, I presume you guys were listening in?" She smirked.

"Trying to, at least." Stella shrugged.

"They're getting closer. He must've thought I wouldn't recognize him, but they must've known about Dr. What's-his-name, so why risk another incident?" Nami asked, sounding like Stella on a case.

"Either they're getting reckless, which I unfortunately doubt, or they need to step up their game. They must be getting more desperate to get at you two." Mac looked at them with dark eyes. "Darn."

"Mac, we'll be okay. Talk to Gerrard. That's the second time this has happened and I'll be darned if anyone else comes near you." Stella said to Nami, cradling her head and rocking her gently.

"This has been tough on all of us." Said Mac.

"Nami, hon, why don't you have a nice hot bubble bath, that always helps my nerves." Stella said.

Nami nodded, taking it as another suggestion to leave them to their adult-only-time. "Does it calm his nerves too?"

"Nami Stellar Bonasera!" Stella called as Nami disappeared into her room and her brain finally got what Nami was implying.

"Let's start dinner." Mac suggested gently.

"Sure."

"Will we be, uh, okay, Mac?" Stella asked him timidly.

"Of coarse we will, Stella." He assured her gently. "We'll be fine."

"It's just... if we can't trust anyone, besides our friends... ?"

"We'll work it out, Stell. Wanna know why?" He smirked. She nodded. "Cause nobody messes with my girls."

"Mac." Stella smiled. Mac grabbed her by the waist and brought her to him, kissing her lips passionately. This surprised them both. Nonetheless they let their baser-instinct take over, wrapping their arms around each other. Stella felt like his lips were simply melting against hers like warm chocolate. Mac couldn't really get any thoughts across...

"Stella?" Mac asked with flushed cheeks, asking if she was okay.

"Mm... I think I'm gonna like being your girl."


	12. Dreading

Dreading

The sun rose early for the New York family. Mac was the first to wake, as normal, feeling the light hit him. He looked to his left to see a peacefully beautiful face smile at him faintly. Olive skin glowing in the pale yellow light, dark eyelashes holding the tears of a yawn and caramel curls splayed over tiny shoulders. He realized his hand was on one of those petite shoulders, holding her to him protectively as always, but with one big difference from the other times; they were both naked.

Now how did that happen?

Oh... right. Last night. After the kiss...

Stella moaned and arched her back, letting her soft skin brush against his bare hip. Her arms were wrapped around him as her head rested on his shoulder.

His face softened as he smiled fondly at the Greek woman before him. He felt a love he'd never felt before creep into his heart; the love for his family. The woman he loved and his child, their daughter.

"Mac?" She groaned.

"Sh." He kissed her cheek.

"Time?" She grumbled.

"Early. Go back to sleep." He whispered. He chuckled as she did just so, happily obliging his kind offer by burying her face into his shoulder further. He was about to do the same when a whine and a scratch at the door made his frown return.

"Procter!" A hiss came from outside their bedroom.

"We almost made it a whole night." He sighed.

"Procter!" Nami bit again.

Mac got up and put on some clothes. He looked back to Stella and wrapped the sheets around her tighter. He opened the door. "Nami?"

"Sorry dad." She said with guilt, looking down.

"It's okay, don't worry." He said softly, kneeling to look up into her vermillion eyes. "Look at me."

"Hm?" She looked into his kind blue eyes and smiled slightly. They mad her feel safe, loved, protected. More so than...

"It's okay. He's probably just hungry, right, boy?" Mac asked the puppy, who nodded and wagged his tail. "See?"

"Okay." Nami smiled a little more.

"Okay, now do you wanna try to get some more sleep, or do you wanna stay up and help me make breakfast for Procter... " Mac looked at the pup pointedly. He paused, thinking of the night before. "And mom?"

"Yeah!" She said excitedly, putting Procter down on the floor. He scampered to the counter immediately and spun around a few times.

"Okay, what should we make?" He asked his daughter.

"Flapjacks!" She piped immediately.

"Pancakes?" He asked.

"Yup! Uncle Don told me that Aunt Jess called him Flapjack one _really_ early morning on their way to work." She smiled innocently.

"Really? I'll have to ask Uncle Don about that." He nodded.

"What first?" She asked.

"Well, to start we get out the ingredients we'll need to make them. Flour, milk and eggs. First we need one cup of flour." He said smoothly, pulling out the jar of flour, carton of milk and an egg.

"One cup!" She took a cup of flour as her father directed her to and put it in the large mixing bowl.

"Next we need a cup of milk, and one egg." He smiled, watching her put a cup of milk in as well. "Do you wanna crack the egg?"

"Yes please!" She said excitedly again.

"Here, hold it over the compost." He opened the cupboard door under the sink and opened the small green bucket for her to crack the egg over. She cracked it against the rim of the bowl with one hand oh-so professionally and dropped the shell into the bucket. "Good!"

"Now, mix it?"

"Now, mix it." He nodded, handing her a wooden spoon.

The morning was picture perfect; the only sound was the soft clunk of the spoon in the bowl and the light of the rising sun coming through the huge window was the only light in the apartment.

"Okay, it's mixed!" She said happily but quietly.

"Okay, let me get the skillet out and put it on the stove. I'll do this part, since I don't want you using the stove." He said softly.

"Okay, dad." She nodded, sitting on a stool.

Procter whined, hungry and not wanting to wait for the pancakes to cook. He looked up at his little girl to see what she could do.

"Sh, Procter, they'll be ready in a minute, now don't wake mom." She frowned, pushing her finger to her lips.

He bowed his head in apology.

The sizzle of the batter on the skillet filled the kitchen as Mac poured out three pancakes at a time. He pulled a spatula out of the drawer and flipped them one by one as they were ready.

Nami got the plates out and set them on the counter one by one gently so as not to wake her mother. "Do you have to work today, dad?"

"Yeah, I do, but you and your mother are coming in with me. I only have to work until lunch so we can spend the afternoon together." He smiled, genuinely liking the idea of a family afternoon with them.

"Okay." She smiled.

"Mm... morning, you two." The main voice in their lives called.

"Morning mom." Nami beamed, bounding over to her mother to hug her tightly.

"Good morning, Nami." She smiled as Nami hugged the small of her back. "Oh! Okay, honey, mommy's back is a bit sore."

"Sorry."

"It's okay, sweetie, I just need to sit down." Stella walked to the counter with Nami, one hand on her shoulder, and sat on her stool.

"Good morning beautiful." Mac greeted as soon as she was seated, whipping around to take her lips in his and release them just as quickly. He pulled back, a grin of satisfaction growing as he saw her surprised reaction. Her eyes were still closed and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Good... morning to you too." She blinked, not expecting the affectionate morning call but more than happy to receive it.

"We've been making you breakfast." Nami said happily.

"You were? Well, isn't that sweet of you." Stella kissed her daughter's hair and then turned to Mac with raised eyebrows.

"She wanted to make flapjacks." He said pointedly.

"Really? Well, I could go for some pancakes." Stella said the minute Mac slid two onto her plate. "These look good."

"Nami made them." Mac smiled with pride.

"I helped." She pointed, digging into her own after giving Procter one - and only one - to eat.

"Well you put in the ingredients and did the mixing, I just put them on the stove." Mac chuckled.

"Well, I don't feel like doing much today, so why don't we go to the park or something?" Stella smiled.

"I have to go into the lab for a little bit, but you girls go and I'll be home for lunch." He smiled back, taking a bite of his pancakes.

"Okay, I guess we'll see you then." She shrugged.

"We should get ready, you want shower first?" He asked.

"Sure." She nodded, pushing her half-a-remaining pancake away and kissing Nami's hair. "You go and get changed, sweetie."

"Okay." Nami nodded, getting up with Procter in tow. They all learned quickly that Procter never left Nami's side unless she told him to or he was with Stella. He and Mac were on better terms, but Procter still thought he deserved primary protecting rights to his little girl.

Mac watched his daughter go into her room and then turned to Stella, who was still watching Nami go. He thought about how things had fallen into place oh-so magically. He and Stella had become parents of a wonderful daughter... completely by accident. He and Stella had something before, they always had, but they'd avoided it. He'd started feeling for her in a different way after the incident with Frankie. He wanted to be able to protect her from that. Since he'd failed to protect Claire, he became even more protective than before, and Stella had found her way into the center of his protective intentions.

He was in love with her.

He'd fallen fast and hard, and he never wanted to let go.

He dreamed last night about them. He dreamed that he, Nami and Stella were all happy and even had a fourth addition to the family. One time it was a little boy. Nami had affectionately called him baby brother and coddled him despite the difference in blood connection. Stella had called him baby boy and enjoyed sitting with him on her lap, telling him about his father and big sister and how much he was like his daddy. The other time it was a baby girl whom Nami still adored and called li'l sis, and whom Stella called baby girl and loved to carry around in her arms.

Stella turned to look at Mac for only a split second, but time moved in slow motion for her. Looking into his restful blue eyes she saw... love? She'd begun to feel differently for him when she'd gone to him after the attack. There was always something there, but since Frankie she found herself unable to help herself from... what? Trying to protect and take care of him? Trying to relieve his pain? Drooling over him like a dog would with a T-bone steak? Maybe all of the above.

She was in love with him.

She'd fallen fast and hard, and she never wanted to let go.

She'd dreamt about what it would be like to have a baby. She'd always dreamt about what it would like to have a baby she'd never have to leave; never have to abandon like she had been. Mac had been the father, in that dream, though. They'd been the parents of another child, but blood or womb connection hadn't been an issue. Nami loved her baby sister/brother, who had looked up to her immensely. She and Mac would put them to bed and then go to bed themselves, together.

They both returned to reality in a second. A _loooooong _second.

"So what do you have to do at the lab?" Stella asked Mac as she dug out some clothes from their closet and dresser.

"Just talk to some people, get some paper work to bring back." He replied, sitting on the bed and watching her.

"Not that I don't want you here, but why can't you just do you it there?" She asked absently.

"I don't want to be away for too long... especially not from the woman I'm in love with." He chuckled as he saw her whip around and get something from her jewelry box to hide the blush he knew was there.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower now, I'll only be a minute."

"C'mere." He got off the bed and kissed her sweetly, enjoying the taste of syrup and happiness on her. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and he graciously let her in. They broke apart only for air and smiled at each other zealously. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered, running her hands through his hair and smiling at him dreamily.

He leaned in and whispered something into her ear. When he pulled away he was smiling at her expectantly.

"You want to marry me?" She whispered with teary eyes.

"More than anything." He whispered back. "I want us to be a family forever. Marry me, Stella Bonasera?"

"Yes... yes, oh yes, a million times yes!" She beamed, attacking his lips again. He wrapped his arms around her tiny form and spun her around by the waist. "Baby... "

"Stella, I promise I'll do my best to be the best for you and Nami. You girls deserve the best, and I don't know if I'm anywhere near good enough, but I can try." He mumbled almost embarrassedly.

"You are more than good enough for Nami, and for me. We love you." She told him gently but surely, holding his face and gaze. "Now what made you decide to ask this all of a sudden?"

"I've loved you for a long time, Stella, but with these last two weeks, I've realized that I can't let another woman I love go. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. I want to protect you and Nami forever, and being a family... I've missed out on a lot." He smiled.

"Well, you don't have to miss out on any more." She smiled back. "Nami will have herself a real mommy and daddy, I'll have myself a husband, you a new wife, and the lab will have a new gossip topic." She couldn't help but laugh and throw her head back as he paled and looked at her, asking if she was really going to tell the lab. His eyes wandered to her throat for a moment, wondering how it would taste second time around, but he looked back to her as she spoke. "Relax, I'm kidding."

"I'll propose properly when I get things arranged." He promised.

"Properly? I like this proposal, Mac. It'd be a great story to tell our grandchildren." She laughed even harder when she saw his face lose all color completely and then flush an indignant red.

"No one. Is EVER. Coming near my little girl."

Stella laughed for a good five minutes before catching her breath. "Oh Mac, boys are going to notice her eventually."

"Not if they know she has two police officers for parents." He smirked, kissing her forehead and then touching his to it. "Hm?"

"I suppose you have a point there, but don't go threatening every boy you see within a mile radius of her." Stella shook her curly head.

"I won't... half a mile. Maybe a hundred feet." He joked. "That means you too. You're my wife, so that means no more low cut tops."

"What? I like them, and it would seem they served their purpose since you do too." She said with raised eyebrows.

"Well, just because I enjoy them doesn't mean the rest of the world can. I don't know what I'm going to do if Nami inherits your fashion sense." Mac grumbled, sitting back on the bed with his fiancee.

"I guess the boys would start noticing her sooner in that case."

"Stella." Mac warned.

"What? Boys started looking at me when I was about... twelve?" She mused aloud. "Yeah... I developed a little early, but clearly that didn't stick with me."

"Stella, you have perfect... perfectly nice... perfectly fine... never mind." He waved, giving up on his words.

"Right... "

"Not to get off topic, but you need to shower and so do I."

"What took so long, that was like... twenty minutes." Nami smiled.

"Come here, baby, your father and I need to tell you something." Stella patted a spot on the couch next to her. Nami bounded over and sat next to her mother happily, Procter simply sitting by their feet. "Nami, your father and I have decided to get married."

Nami blinked... then broke into a huge smile. "Really?!"

"Really." They both smiled as Nami's smile only grew. Stella hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. Procter yipped happily, going in circles and wagging his tail. He even looked up at Mac and offered a paw shake in congratulations, for which Mac thanked him.

He picked his daughter up and spun her around a few times before letting her back down and kneeling to meet her at eye level. "Nami?"

"Yes, dad?" She smiled.

"Since your mother and I are getting married, we're going to be a real family, forever. Your name is going to be Nami Stella Taylor."

Backrooms were never made to be happy places. Backrooms in bars were no exceptions. As one woman made her way to the old oak door to said backroom she felt uneasy. She was never a drinker, nor had she ever really been in a bar for long, and she definitely didn't like it in there. The musty smell of the drunkards hovered around in the air like a sheet of fog that hit her just under her nostrils. The dim lighting gave the place a serene feel to a tipsy person and a freaky feel to a sober one.

"Hey honey!" One drunk man noted with a slur.

"I'm not your type." She offered flatly, walking straight past him.

"Work or pleasure?" A man standing outside the door asked.

"Both." She said with a clever smile, flashing her badge and tilting her head. Her emerald eyes glinted in the dim light and her dark chestnut curls were tied back in a ponytail. He opened the door for her silently and let her step forward, closing the door behind her as well.

"How close are you?" A voice asked from the pitch black shadow cast by the sun's position through the tiny window.

"I need more time, please." The curly haired woman pleated, immediately putting her hands on the old oak table before her. Her expression turned to that of worry and she tried to meet the eyes of her negotiator in vain. The dark covered them.

"On the contrary, you're overdue. But because I pity you more than a dead puppy I'll give you one last chance. First, pay up." The voice bit.

"Right, right - of coarse!" The woman fumbled for two gold Greek coins and set them on the table with a clack. A hand, small and feminine and finely manicured reached out and wagged three fingers. "More?"

"That was the deal." Her voice snapped.

"Alright, alright!" Another three coins were placed on the table, clinking against the ones already laid down. "This is my family's entire history of fortune. It's all we have from five generations. Solid gold, traded illegally in return for all my money, the money for my sisters! Everything! Where are they?!"

"Miss Maridakis, I suggest you calm down before I'm forced to call him." The woman's cynical voice taunted her.

"You... you bitch! You took my sisters from me, they're all I have! Where are they?!" Maridakis screamed again, pounding her fists on the solid wood and letting a dark curl fall in front of her eyes.

"Calm down, dammit!" The woman stood, emerging from the shadows. Her face was tan, long and majestic with distinct features. High cheek bones, regal and finely dusted with expensive makeup. Her eyes were jade green, her hair curly and almost blonde. "Sit."

"Yes, ma'am." Maridakis growled.

"Now, contact Amaryllis and get their information from her. Stella and the girl are living with him, so the way to get to them is simple. Separate and crush. He'll be at work. We'll find him and break him."

"Danny, run these through all systems." Mac said flatly.

"Sure, boss, but what's the emergency? This is a social services card. Did somethin' happen?" Danny asked, frowning immediately.

"Long story, but I'm not taking any chances. Nami said she recognized him as the guy who packed the kids in crates." Mac said with a shake of his head, leaning on the table

"Dammit!" Danny bit. "These creeps packed these kids in crates after torturing them even before they were born and used them for drug smuggling, pickpocketing, sex who know's what."

Mac simply remained silent. It made him sick to think about what people did. What those people did to his Nami. He didn't know everything, but if the pattern were to continue he didn't want to know.

"This is gonna take a while, why don't you go back to the girls?" Danny suggested gently after the silence.

"I will, thanks Danny." Mac nodded.

"Alright, you get'ouda'ere." He chuckled lightly before doing so himself.

"Excuse me, are you Detective Mac Taylor?"

"Yes?" Mac turned to a woman he could've sworn to be his Stella. Three women, actually, stood at the door. The shortest of the three had dark brown, almost burgundy curls to her shoulder blades, straighter close to her side part and starting to curl only around her ears. Her face was different from the other two; smaller and younger. She couldn't have been older than twenty five, but her face betrayed another age, brought on by worry and a forced maturity. Still, she was strikingly pretty and held one's attention. Her eyes, deep green, were glassy.

"My name is Thalia Milos, I'm an agent from Greece here on behalf of Edward Bonasera. This is a letter to his daughter and apparently, his granddaughter." She quirked an eyebrow.

"Edward Bonasera?" Mac squinted skeptically.

"Yes, sir. He's the biological father of Stella Bonasera."

Mac looked up at her sharply, dark storms clouding his eyes as he looked down at her, more than a little unnerving. "You mean to tell me he's just now looking for the daughter he gave up?"

"He understands the situation is complicated, but it's urgent he see her immediately." Agent Milos explained.

"And Nami Bonasera too, is that right? Why?" Mac snarled viciously. "So he can put her back in some trafficking ring? I don't think so, not my daughter."

"Your daughter, Mister Taylor?" Miss Milos asked firmly.

"Yes, mine and Stella's." He glowered. "Why?"

"Mister Taylor, we understand this is hard, but I'm afraid there is no choice in the matter. Mister Bonasra has ordered his daughter be brought back by any means necessary." One of the taller women to the left of Miss Milos said. She had butterscotch, almost blonde curls, jade green eyes, an elegant and regal face, and was tall with a dancer's figure; just like his Stella. She looked like she could be her sister if it weren't for the slightest differences in the face. Her eyes were smaller, more ominous, her cheek bones were high like Stella's but a little too prominent, and something about her presented a manipulative air. "I'm Agent Anna Beckman, and this is Agent Amy Brown."

"I see... " Mac looked at Agent Brown; she looked just like Beckman. Same light brown curls, same face, same eyes, same unsettling aura. Her face was a little younger than Anna's, though, a little rounder, a little more childlike. "Why?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information." Both Beckman and Brown answered curtly.

"I'll be in touch, but they're not going anywhere just yet." He said pointedly, making it clear he wasn't going to give them up without a fight. "You have three days, then we'll be back for them and they do not have a choice, Detective." Beckman spoke again, sharp and snippy.

"Three days; if I find a way out of this, you people back down."

"Agent Maridakis will be back. If you resist further."

Mac felt he should say something but held his tongue. He looked at Agent Maridakis/Milos to meet her pleating eyes. It seemed only they noticed the slip up, and she was trying to make him see just how important it was. He gave the slightest nod of his head. "I understand."

"Good. Have a pleasant day, Detective Taylor." They all nodded.

"Yes." He said simply as they left. Angell came in, pushing them.

"Mac, what were they doing here?" She asked quickly.

"They said they were agent from Greece, here to retrieve Nami and Stella for Edward Bonasera. They said their names were Amy Brown and Anna Beckman." He said with furrowed brows.

"They're Edward Bonasera's biological daughters, Amaryllis and Anemone Beltaos. His real name was Beltaos until he changed it because he _thought _he was Stella's father, but he's not." She explained quickly and a little out of breath from running to find him.

"The other woman with them, Talia... Maridakis was her name, I think, and she didn't look to comfortable with the whole situation. I think she was forced into something." He said suddenly.

"I'll keep looking with Don, but we don't have a lot to go on."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Right now, I have to get home."

"Stella? Nami?" Mac called, finding the door unlocked. He guessed they hadn't gone to the park, so he entered cautiously, closing the door behind him quietly. His and Stella's bedroom door was slightly ajar. He went in slowly. When he saw them, he smiled.

Stella and Nami were both asleep on the bed.

Stella had her arms spread out, one around Nami's shoulder and the other laying limply on the duvet. Her head was nestled in Nami's thick black locks and her legs were curled so their knees touched.

Nami was curled up next to her mother happily. One arm was under her mother's back while the other laid behind her.

Both of them were half on their backs, half on their sides and completely knocked out. It looked as though they hadn't even left the apartment, seeing how Stella was wearing a pair of his sweat pants and a T-shirt saying _CSI: Cute Sexy Inspector_, and Nami had on black capree pants and a black T-shirt saying _I'm a kitten_, in white lettering.

He chuckled quietly at the unbearably adorable sight. He got the afghan he kept for cold nights and laid it over top of them, noticing their warm smiles grow in their sleep. He left silently.

Procter looked up at him and blinked.

"I can't lose 'em, boy... " He patted the pup's head sadly. "I can't."


	13. Abduction

Abduction

_What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do?_

_Admit something you didn't want to?_

_Tell someone you love something that hurt you both?_

_Maybe you had to tell someone you loved someone they loved died._

_Maybe you had to let go of someone you loved..._

_When someone dies it's the ones left behind who truly suffer. They've lost someone near and dear to them, and it hurts - of coarse it hurts. They say death is the ultimate price a man can pay, but that's a lie. The ultimate price a man can pay... would be to lose everything. _

_The ultimate price..._

_Losing your spouse?_

_Losing your child?_

_Losing your life?_

_What if you lost all the people you loved one day, just like that?_

_Some say the dead gain happiness, because they can finally rest. The ones left behind, however, may not be so lucky. That's why suicidal people do what they do; they can't live with the pain. _

_So does death bring rest?_

_Does it bring happiness?_

_Or does it just cause strife?_

_Just another thing man will never know for sure..._

Nami watched Procter sleep with the faintest smile on her face. It was sad, though. It was a sad smile because she felt the events to come were not going to be pleasant. She couldn't know for sure; just a feeling.

Her father had been acting strange, lately. He was distracted and worrisome most of the time, but when his attention was focused on her and her mother he was the happiest, most affectionate, loving man in the world. This, of coarse, led her to wonder what was going on. He'd never tell her, though; he'd never do anything to cause her or her mother unrest, metaphysically or otherwise. Still, she wanted to know. The other day, when she ran into their room and jumped on their bed to wake them, it felt so wonderful and _right_ that she never even thought about her past, or her future. She'd gotten a chance to live a life outside of misery. When he'd rolled over first, letting go of Stella and smiling at her, she saw the tiniest trace of sadness in his stormy blue eyes. Sure, they weren't bubbling sugar most of the time either, but just then he had the eyes of a man on the verge of breaking, and that scared her. She didn't have to time to be scared, though, because he'd immediately covered it up with a bright, genuine smile and grabbed her off the bed, swinging her around and hugging her as tight as he could with his strong arms.

She'd grown to know her father's embrace well.

Better than her own self. Even better than Procter's tongue tickling her cheek and neck to wake her up in the early mornings. Better than the taste of dumplings and mango juice.

She knew her mother had noticed as well. Sure, she was happy to get all the extra kisses, and hugs, but she too had begun to wonder what had happened to her husband-to-be. She was slightly perturbed by it, but not nearly as much as Nami, considering she always got distracted by his new found spontaneity; whipping her around into passionate kisses and snuggling her lovingly. It was nice. And odd.

"Nami! Come on, honey, it's time to go!" Her mother called.

"Coming! Okay, Procter, be good." Nami tapped the pup's nose. She opened her door and came out happily with a bounce in her step. She was wearing blue jeans and her black sleeveless hoodie. On her right wrist was an emerald bracelet, her mother's; sterling silver chain links with six emerald sphere's, one in between each link. On her left was a black leather strap watch with a sterling steel back and special glass face. Her long hair was in a high ponytail and ended at her shoulder blades, curling around ever so slightly. Black strap sandals that wrapped around her ankles and feet were good for lots of movement.

"There you are." Stella half hugged her to her side and kissed her temple. "Come on, hon, we're taking the car today."

Nami climbed in the back of the car they used only sometimes. They didn't have an official family vehicle, as they just used the ones they used for work, ie. The truck, the car, the occasional van and such. She sat in the middle, so she could look out the front, and at her parents.

"So what's going on?" Stella asked him.

"Just some unfinished business." He said absently before turning to look at her. He smiled and winked, making her turn and blush faintly.

Nami raised an eyebrow but remained silent, simply enjoying watching her parents flirt. Still, something didn't feel right with him. She wondered if it had something to do with her. Maybe more trouble... ? Come to think of it, she didn't know what had ever happened to the print they'd gotten from Klein.

Oh well, she'd find out eventually... she hoped...

"Hey!" Don waved as they entered PD.

"Hi Uncle Don!" Nami greeted happily, shoving her troubles to the back of her mind.

"Hey sweetheart! How's my favorite girl?" Flack smiled back, picking her up and swinging her around in his arms.

"Good!" She laughed childishly, taking his hand as soon he set her down. "Where's Aunt Jess?"

"Oh, she's just finding something for mommy and daddy." He smirked at Stella and Mac, looking at their intertwined hands and then up at their slightly embarrassed faces. "You two better not be wakin' this li'l princess in the middle of the night."

"Donald Flack!" Both Stella and Angell scolded him.

"Hi Aunt Jess." Nami waved.

"Hey, kiddo, you havin' a good day?" Angell smiled.

"Yup!"

"Jess, you have something for us?" Mac asked suddenly and seriously.

"Yeah... Mac... um, maybe Stella and Nami could talk to Don while I talk to you. Would that be okay?" She asked with worried eyes. She looked at Stella with tilted brows. Stella looked hesitant, and obviously wanted to stay and hear it for herself, but she rather her daughter didn't hear whatever it was. "Okay."

"Okay... " Stella dropped her eyes to the floor. She had been feeling great uncertainty since the other day. She'd woken from her nap with Nami and come out of the room to find Mac hunched over the kitchen counter with a glass of wine and a photo of the three of them. He hadn't noticed her as she leaned on the doorway, holding the white-painted wood with a pained expression. She hadn't even been able to read him lately, and could only hope things were alright. "Come on, hon."

"Okay, mom." Nami looked up at her mother with a sympathetic face. She showed her a comforting look, taking her hand and following her to Flack's desk. "It'll be okay."

"Thank you, Nami. I know."

"Anemone and Amaryllis Beltaos are the daughters of Edward Beltaos and Adrasteia Makos Beltaos." Angell began, pointing at the pictures and birth certificates on the screen. "I've asked around, and apparently a woman matching Anemone's description is a specialist in the black market. She meets in private, most of the times in the back room of a bar downtown in Manhattan, and provides special services_ or_ has other people provide special services for her."

"Okay, so she's an underground criminal with diplomatic immunity, nothing too new there." Mac mumbled. "What about Thalia?"

"Thalia Milos's name is actually Talia Maridakis. She was born May 9th, 1985, in Athens, Greece. She has three sisters, Amanda, Elena, and Daniella. They were all reported missing three weeks ago, but no one ever did anything about it. Talia is a fresh new Private Investigator/Detective. She was investigating Edward Bonasera when her sisters went missing in the middle of the night. Their parents died when Talia was eighteen. She's been taking care of them."

"Single sister, mother-figure taking care of and supporting three sisters, all in school, all by herself?" Mac frowned.

"Yeah, I know. Don managed to find something else. She recently went into the black market to trade her entire family line's fortune for ancient pure gold coins. Through her family's years of rich business, ancient Greek nobility and such, the two million dollars she managed to drain her reservoir of got her eight. All pure gold, each with an exact mass of nineteen point one and untraceable." Angell sighed.

"Alright, so Talia must have been forced to work with the twin terrors." Mac twisted his mouth, cocking his neck,.

"Got that right. So Maridakis needs to cooperate with them, but other than that, she's on our side. Makes me wonder... what happened to her sisters?" Angell asked him "She must think they're alive if she's still working with them, and they must be doing something to assure her of that. If they are still alive, where are they, and who's keeping them?"

"I don't know, but-"

_Bang!_

_Bang! _

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

"What the hell?!"

"Everybody get down!"

"Everyone okay?!"

Mac and Angell both reached for their guns instinctively and rushed back out to the chaos. The whole place was in ruins. There were two bullet holes in Flack's desk and glass shards were scattered everywhere. Most people were still on the ground, hands over their heads. Some, including Stella, had their guns at the ready. Even Nami had grabbed the service weapon of a nearby officer who'd wet himself and was kneeling by her mother, ready to shoot if necessary. "Stella?"

"Mac, baby, are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of worry. She went to him, putting a hand on his arm and looking into his eyes.

"I'm fine, are you?" He asked in return with equal worry.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay. Nami's okay too." Stella turned to look back at the place. Flack was in front of Nami protectively, though both were looking at them with furrowed brows. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, exactly." Mac shook his head.

"They're coming after Nami again, aren't they?" Stella fretted, her voice raising slightly.

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

_Boom!_

Mac grabbed Stella and forced her down, shielding her body with his as they went down. He curled over her, holding her back and head close to him. He buried his face in her curls and gripped the violet sweater she was wearing. When things subsided slightly they looked up.

A smoke bomb had been set off immediately after the shots were fired. Everyone was coughing and hacking and struggling to see. Flack's head emerged from the bottom layer, a hand waving in front of it.

"Nami?!"

"Nami!" Stella called from Mac's arms, struggling to get free.

"Mom?!"

"Nami!" Stella screamed. She and Mac shot up and bolted toward the sound of their daughter's voice. The smoke hadn't thinned any and moving through the mess was a challenge, even for the agile. Stella waved a hand in front of her face when she felt her foot hit something. She looked down expecting to find an officer. "Oh my god!"

"Stella, what's wrong?" Mac went to her and felt her head hit his chest suddenly. He automatically put his hand on her back and looked at what had terrified her so.

Gerrard.

He was dead.

One single bullet had gone right between his eyes, splattering his blood all over his face. His lifeless body was in an odd position; limbs every-which-way, probably because of how he'd fallen. Tiny lumps sat in the puddle under his blood, surely brain matter.

"Oh god." Mac breathed.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Nami?!" They both shouted.

"No!" Nami's voice shouted. Though no one could see it through the smoke; she was struggling against two large men, and losing. They had her arms in iron grips and were forcing her towards the door.

"Nami!"

Nami went to shout back to her parents when a hard hit in the stomach prevented her from doing so. It knocked the wind out of her and hurt like hell. She was hanging onto what little air she had left when another blow to the head hit her hard. The butt of a gun against her temple, breaking the skin and making the blood run down her cheek. She was struggling to stay conscious, wanting nothing more than her father to come and saver her again. Wait... no... she didn't. The last time that happened he ended up dead, clinging to her as a lifeline and she was forced to leave him to die. No. She didn't want that this time. She opened her mouth to shout but only a gasp and a gurgle came as blood dripped from her lip. A strong hand gripped her throat, cutting off what little breathing she could do. She tried to break free but she was already weak. Her body succumbed to her captor and was dragged away under the cover of the smoke. No one, not even her captors, noticed the sound of the door opening. No one inside seemed to notice it either.

"Nami!" Stella shouted again. The smoke began to dissipate but her fear only deepened when she didn't see Nami anywhere. "Nami! Nami, baby, answer me! Are you okay?! Nami!"

"Stella!" Flack shouted desperately.

"Nami Stella Taylor answer me!!" Stella cried, though no one answered. Tears rolled down her cheeks and over her lips, dripping off her jaw. Her eyes, wide and frantic, darted around wildly.

"Stella... I'm sorry... she's gone." Flack struggled to say, breathless and teary eyed himself. Be it from the smoke or Nami's disappearance, no one would be able to tell if they weren't looking directly into his pure blue eyes and saw his frenzied fear. "I... I-I don't' know how it... she... "

"Don... please... " Stella whispered shakily, looking up at him with her bloodshot eyes pleading. "Please... don't tell me she's... that they... "

"I... I'm sorry, Stell." Don let his tears fall as he hugged Stella to him with one arm, his other limp and holding his gun. "I'm sorry."

"Where is she?!" She sobbed. "Why?! Why would they take her?!"

"Stella... " Flack felt guilt hit him even harder, if it were possible, when Stella pulled away from his embrace and turned to Mac.

"Where are they, Mac?! Why would they take our little girl?!" She screamed at him out of grief. He pulled her to him gently. She struggled, hitting his chest. "Why?! Why?! Why?!"

"Sh." He whispered, letting his own tears fall.

"Where is she?!" She cried, no long hitting him but instead letting him hold her to him, her fists resting beside her head on his chest.

He couldn't answer.

He simply dropped his gun and held her so tight he though she'd burst, but he couldn't do anything else. Just rock her gently and cry.

Jess went to Don, checking if he was okay. She wiped his tears and hugged him. He hugged her back weakly, never tearing his teary eyes from the grieving parents of the girl he'd let slip right through his fingers. She understood.

Anyone watching them could finally, truly understand how awful losing a child was. Seeing the people they knew like never before; she hit his chest over and over until she couldn't anymore. Him just letting her, wishing he could hit something himself. They understood. The pain. The grief. The feeling of never seeing them again. They understood.

_What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do?__Maybe you had to let go of someone you loved..._

_They say death is the ultimate price a man can pay, but that's a lie. The ultimate price a man can pay... would be to lose everything. _

_What if you lost all the people you loved one day, just like that?_

_They did. _

_And it left them separated, and crushed._

_Broken._


	14. Attacks

Attacks

"Stella?" Lindsay looked at her older friend with worry. Her brows were tilted with concern as she looked at the broken woman. "Stella?"

She jumped as Lindsay sat beside among the mess. They were seated just outside the main room, in a small hallway that was strangely quiet. "Hm? Oh... Lindsay."

"Stella, I'm so sorry." The younger woman breathed, hugging her friend with tears in her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Why would they take her, Linds? I don't... I have no idea why they'd take her from us." Stella choked out, not registering anything beyond her own grief and the words she sputtered out. It was like reliving her attack after Frankie. Everything was broken, and she was struggling to pick up the pieces. She couldn't understand anything.

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out, don't worry."

"My little girl... "

Nami woke to the disgusting smell of exhaust. Everywhere. She was lying on something cold and hard, metallic, as far she could tell. Looking around she could see she was under a tarp, and as she bounced around in her hog-tied position it hit her that she was in the back of a truck. The sounds of everyday New York passed her; she could hear the cars, the people, the angry locals yelling at tourists to shut up!

They slowly came to a stop, on gravel, somewhere.

"Get her out of the back." A man's voice ordered.

The opening and closing of the truck door and the sound of heavy steps on the gravel didn't scare her much. What did scare her was the sound of a gun's safety clicking off. She could heal herself a lot faster than most people, but she wasn't bullet proof, and if they blew her brain clean out engineered genes wouldn't be able to help her. She knew her heart was racing by the blood that started flowing from her temple again. One little drop, leaving a small trail in its midst, rolled down.

"Wakey-wakey, princess." A man laughed.

Nami tried to growl, shout back at him, anything, but her yell was muffled by the scarf they'd tied over her mouth.

"Don't worry, you'll be nice and comfy through your next ride until we reach the border. Now come on!" He hoisted her out of the back and cut the rope binding her legs, though it did her little good because she was still weak from the shooting. He carried her over his shoulder and dumped her in the backseat of a car. It had the rent-a-car smell she had always hated. The leather was a nice change from the steel of the truck, though. "Bring her to the border, Anemone will give you clearance there. Then, put her back in her cage and load her with the other cargo."

"I know what to do!" A woman snapped.

"Just don't mess up. This one's the real prize and if we don't get her back within twenty four hours he's gonna kill us."

"You don't think I know that?" She finished, rolling up the window and taking off.

Nami adjusted herself to sit in the backseat normally, with the exception of her bound wrists. She blinked her senses on and looked ahead. They were heading down a gravel road, beside the river and away from Manhattan. "Um... "

"It's better if you don't talk." The woman said back to her with a firm voice, though it wasn't sharp or cold. As a matter of fact, the recommendation was almost tender.

"That's nice of you to warn me, but somehow I don't believe you're actually meaning anyone any harm." Nami said with a small smile and tilted eyebrows, seeing the woman's reflection in the mirror if she tried. The Greek woman had a beautiful face, strong but elegant and with a naturally kind look. "What's your name?"

"I'm not allowed to say so to you." She sighed.

"Oh, they'd never know. You already know my name's Nami." She smiled, speaking to the woman gently.

"My name is Talia." She finally admitted.

"Hi Talia. I'd shake your hand, but I'm in no position to do so." Nami laughed, lightening the mood.

"Look honey, you're in danger, and I don't have to tell you that these guys won't hesitate to kill you." Talia said without turning to Nami, keeping her eyes trained on the road and her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"But that's the same thing that's keeping you in on this too, isn't it? They have something on you, don't they?"

Silence settled in as the sound of the car drowned out their breathing. Talia met Nami's eyes in the rear view mirror unwaveringly, though her eyes were sad while Nami's were simply sparkly and soothing to her. She blinked a few times, looking back to the road ahead. The tall green grass surrounding the route stood higher than the car itself and blew frivolously in the wind. "I have three sisters. They went missing around the time you were found in that alley. I think he took them. His daughters Anemone and Amaryllis told me that if I wanted to see them unharmed I'd have to carry out all the actions they told me to, the latest one being to bring you to the border where they'll put you back in the cargo hold with the other kids... I'm sorry."

"I understand. Your sisters must mean a lot to you." Nami smiled.

"They're all I have." Talia smiled sadly as well. "I love them."

"I see... I'm sorry. I know what it's like to love something and then have it taken away." Nami felt strangely comfortable telling all this to the woman she'd met only ten minutes ago. She felt she could trust her.

"You and I have a lot in common, huh, kiddo?" Talia laughed somewhat bitterly as she turned onto an even bumpier back road.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Nami looked down slightly, recalling her parent's faces, if anything, to make sure she wouldn't forget.

Her mother's face; Greek. Beautiful and sweet. Loving and with the constant warmth of a born mother, capable of nothing but loving those who have seen pain and lost love throughout their time.

Her father's face; Stormy, but through the storm there is always the calm in the center. She loved the calm, the love, the sweetness he showed only her and her mother. His rare but precious smile.

She clenched her teeth together and squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart began to ache horribly. She threw her head back, showing a pained expression and dropped it again, letting out choppy breaths and sobs. Her shoulders shook as her sorrow racked her body. Her parents were disappearing in her mind. She let out a scream of pain and anguish, letting the thick, hot tears cascade over her cheeks. Her mother and father weren't there, this time, to hold her while she cried.

Talia tried not to cry as she listened to the young girl. She was so young; only two years younger than her youngest sister, Daniella. She was so young, and yet she'd already lived through hell. Now she was being dragged back to it.

_Oh, merciful God who shapes us all,_

_Return these suffering creatures to your unending womb_

_And forgive my soul for what I have done_

_For the demon you want is the hand that moves mine as I speak_

She bit her lip and focused on the road rather than the sad, almost pitiful little girl sitting in the backseat of the car, waiting for her doom.

"I'm sorry... "

"Stella?"

Stella looked up at her husband. "Mac?"

"Stella." He couldn't say anything else as he sat down with her, wrapping an arm around her tiny shoulders and drawing her to him.

"Where is she, Mac? Where's our girl?" She whispered.

"Stella... I think Edward Boansera is behind this. Yesterday, his daughters, Anemone and Amaryllis, came and told me that he'd sent them to bring you and Nami back to Greece. I-"

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?!" She asked angrily.

"I was trying to protect you. I didn't-"

"You didn't what, Mac? You didn't want to worry me?" She bit hostilely. "You didn't think I had a right to know?"

"Stella-"

"No! Don't _Stella_ me! You didn't tell me the man who tried to kill our daughter was coming after us?!" She shouted, standing up.

"I didn't want to hurt you."

"Mac... I've always trusted you. More than anyone." She shook her head slowly. Meaningfully. "But this... we're supposed to be getting married... "

"Stella, I swear I only had the best intentions."

"I'm sure you did, but right now... " She touched his cheek, like she had so many times before, and looked in his eyes. This time, though, it was painful. "I'm too hurt to think."

"I'd never want to hurt you." He begged her with his eyes to believe him, feeling her trembling hand on his cheek.

She let out a forlorn laugh. "You know, since you proposed... I've been referring to you as my husband, but... maybe... "

"Stella, please... " He held her hand against his cheek, trying to will her to stay with him.

"I have to go." She said suddenly, breaking contact.

"I love you."

She turned slowly and gave him the tiniest smile imaginable, weak and frail, but still there. "I love you too."

Mac thanked his stars she still loved him but he couldn't have done more damage if he'd... no, he really couldn't have done anything worse. For the time being, he'd just have to wait.

Stella walked away briskly, not wanting to cry. Normally, if she cried, she'd cry on him. That wasn't an option this time. She made it to the elevator, almost bumping into Hawkes and Adam on the way, and found her way to her office where Lindsay and Danny were seated.

"Oh god... Stella." Lindsay went over to her friend, seeing her standing there resolutely. Tears ran down her cheeks. Lindsay wrapped her arms around the older woman and helped her sit in a chair shakily.

"I d-don't understand... Linds... " Stella shook, gasping through sobs and a complete mess. Lindsay's hands were tender and strong on her arms as she stood behind her. Stella's hands never stopped shaking completely and she was shaking her head in denial ever so slightly.

"You'll be okay, Stell." Lindsay whispered, rubbing Stella's arms.

"Stella, we'll find her... " Danny dropped his head, not because he was lying, but because he didn't know how yet. Everyone was still a bit shocked, and those who weren't were just scared. Gerrard had been killed, and half of PD was looking for the shooters/worrying about their own asses.

"I... I always wanted a baby. I have - no, I had a daughter." She said to herself, shaky and not herself. Her CSI supervisor voice had come over her and her eyes were wide; sharp and trained but afraid. "So... they're taking her to Greece? They'll need to get her on a plane, but where? Where could they get her out of the country unnoticed?"

"Stella! That's it! Danny, check any activity around flights to Greece. Even private flights and planes need clearance with the airport, and Nami's a little girl without ID or a passport." Lindsay said quickly.

"I'm on it! We're gonna find her Stella." Danny said cheerfully, holding his older friend's face in his hands and kissing her curls.

"See, Stella? Everything's gonna be okay." Lindsay whispered.

"My little girl... " Stella whispered.

Bzzzzz!

Stella looked at her phone, which listed a private number. She frowned but picked up. "Hello?"

"_If you want to see your daughter come to the power plant by the river. If we see your husband or anyone PD at all she dies." _

Stella's blood froze in her veins. The beautiful sienna of her skin faded to that of a ghostly pallor and her mind was having trouble conveying anything whatsoever. When she finally did realize what was happening she'd decided she was going to get her daughter back. Without Mac. "He's not my husband."

"Stella? What's going on? What's wrong?" Lindsay asked suddenly and worriedly. Stella stood and rushed to the door. "What's going on, Stella? Who's not your husband?"

"Don't tell Mac where I'm going." Stella said firmly.

"Stella-"

"Please, Lindsay!" Stella repeated. "Don't tell him."

"Where are you going?" Lindsay asked solemnly.

"To hunt a lead."

Nami's head rested against the window of the car as it bumped down the rugged road. Her tears had stopped but only because she didn't have any more to cry. They'd been driving for quite a long time, but she'd stopped paying attention. She didn't know where they were.

"We're almost there." Talia spoke quietly, cutting the silence.

No reply came, simply a slight what-could-have-been nod from Nami. Her dark hair shielded her eyes from view but her lips were visible as they tried to form words. Nothing came from them though. She tried again, letting her mouth hang open for a moment. "What are they planning on doing? I'm the only survivor of the Hybrid Project. I'm the only one who didn't die from the overstimulation of the synthetic genes."

"All they told me was that they'd found a way to immortalize you and your mother." Talia frowned.

Nami frowned as well. Her and her mother? Her _and_ her mother? What were they planning on doing to her and Stella? What could they do to them? She didn't want to think about it, but what else was she to do. "Great... "

"There it is." Talia pulled up to an airport, going through the gate.

"What's going on?" Nami squinted. "They said you were taking me to the border."

"The border of New York City. This new airport-"

"Was built for just this reason?" Nami growled.

"I'm afraid so. Now... " Talia turned to the steering wheel to park the car next to a small plane. "It's time."

"Okay, so-?!" Nami was quickly hauled out of the car and whapped in the back of her neck. Her mind buzzed for a moment. "Ow! What the heck was that?! If you're going to do that, do it right and make sure it works!!"

"Shut up!"

The same gun hit her in the same place as before. It stung and the blood was once again flowing down her temple. She was knocked out with just one shot this time. She went down without a fight.

Stella walked on the gravel beside the fence cautiously. Her black heeled boots made a light noise on the small stones, but her breathing was louder; uneasy and sharp. The sky was a dull grey, fittingly dismal. The power plant was fenced off, leaving only a small bank beside the fast moving river, on which Stella slumped along.

"Stella Bonasera?"

She turned, only to have a hand grasp her face firmly. Her feet were half carried half dragged down the bank and into the frigid water, startling her only in the back of her mind. Strong arms held her tightly. She struggled and fought with all her intensity and strength, but still she wasn't winning. What would be a wildcat's temper for most was just a kitten's hissy-fit. Her captor brought them both into the river, standing strong against the current. Stella felt the cold water rise on her being and kicked out, getting lucky, and hitting his stomach in the back-swing. It didn't do much, but it surprised him enough for her to get free.

She was going to attack the man but the current swept her downstream so quickly she hardly got a chance to see his face. Klein. Or rather, Damien Long, the fake child services worker. He kicked out and came at her again, grabbing a fistful of her hair and forcing her under.

She fought to come back up, get breath, oxygen, but he was much stronger than her and had no trouble holding her underwater. She felt her lungs shrink and her mind begin to go into overdrive just before blacking out. Her arms felt heavy, and dropped back into the water.

"Mac. I need to talk to you."

Mac looked up. "Lindsay? What's wrong?"

"It's... about Stella." She struggled, furrowing her brows.

"Is she okay?"

"She got this call, and she wouldn't tell me what about, but she told me not to tell you. She said she was going to chase a lead, but she looked really scared, and I'm worried-"

"Okay, Lindsay." Mac said gently, seeing her get teary from stress.

"Mac, you have to go find her. I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry I will."

"You better! You're... you're her husband."


	15. Separation

Separation

"Mac! I got the call, where is she?" Flack asked, running up to his older friend. "And why would she come out here without backup?"

"She was trying to get back at me for not telling her about Amaryllis and Anemone." Mac mumbled, looking down.

"I don't see any trace of anyone." Flack looked around with a grim expression; they'd already lost enough. "Are you sure Stella was here?"

"Lindsay said Stella got a call about something that had worried her. We traced her cell activity and found a call telling her to come here alone." Mac said, looking around as well. "I don't see anything either... "

"I'm sorry, Mac. Maybe she's-?" Flack went over a few feet to find a shiny iphone sitting on the riverbank. The screen had a scratch or two from being dropped, but it displayed _Speed dial one: Mac_. "Mac!"

"What've you got?" Mac jogged over to where Flack was, stopping only when he held up an iphone with a handkerchief. "Stella?"

"You're speed dial one." He said plainly; no further explanation was needed. He handed it over to Mac, who didn't bother to put on a glove. He looked at it with a sickened expression.

"She was going to call me."

_The attacker called her here, and probably came at her from the back. He took away, with or without a fight and left no trace of them._

"This," He shook the phone at Flack. "Must've fallen out of her pocket when he attacked her. She had my number ready to dial in case something happened. She went in with backup after all."

"Just not the physical kind." Flack sighed, turning.

"Don, I know you feel bad about Nami, we all do, but now's not the time to beat yourself up over it."

Don clenched his fists and tried to hold in his emotions. He felt responsible for her being taken, yet here was Mac, her father, calm as ever. He envied that. He was feeling bad while he had no idea what Mac was feeling under his stone cold visage.He'd noticed the changes in his friends first. The way Stella and Mac had fallen into the roles of parents perfectly. They way they looked at each other with love and care, even more so than before. They'd taken to being Nami's parents so well you'd never guess they were actually best friends and coworkers who'd adopted a daughter by accident.

Funny how fate could do that kind of thing.

Stella's head pounded. She was in a daze, still shocked from what had happened. That's right... the river. Dammit!

"Well, seems Queenie is awake." A wicked voice said smugly.

"What?" She blinked, her eyelids heavy.

"Your daddy's waiting for you and your precious little daughter back in Greece." The man, whom she assumed to be Long, snickered in her ear.

"What did you do to her?" Stella managed to ask in a low, menacing voice. In truth, she just didn't have the strength to yell.

"Don't worry, you're both goin' back to see him soon enough." Long hit her shoulder with unnecessary force.

"He's not even my father." She shook her head, brows furrowed.

"Of coarse he is. You're Anemone and Amaryllis's sister." Long sounded confused now, as he must've been convinced Stella was Edward's daughter.

"No, I'm not. I don't have any DNA in common with him in the least. He isn't my biological father." She repeated, struggling to breathe.

"You're going to see him either way, so relax. We're leaving shortly and we'll be landing on an abandoned airstrip by Athens. From there, we're going straight to the west side."

"That side's nothing but rundown buildings and factories."

"Exactly. What better place to hide you." With that, he left her alone. She began to realize where she was; a plane. She was seated in a rather luxurious seat on an airplane. Something on the screen ahead of her flashed.

_Daddy wanted to the best for his little girl._

She wanted to do something, anything, to show her discontent, but her mind was fading again, and all she could do was fall asleep. She was almost out when Mac came to her mind. Her... her husband. He was her husband, the man she loved and the father of their child. Part of her wanted him to rescue her, but the other part wanted him just to stay in New York and stay safe for once. Safety and Mac Taylor, however, didn't usually go together well, so it was a fruitless request.

He'd come after them. He always did.

Nami woke up and immediately wished she hadn't. Her body ached all over, muscles sore and strained from lack of rest and just plain old bruises. She was still tied up and could barely blink.

"Hey, you're up." A young voice said next to her.

"Mm... what's going on?" Nami asked, still on the cold ground.

"You're in a packing crate just like the rest of us." The very young voice said nonchalantly. "You must be Nami. The Basilisk-Hybrid."

"My name is Nami Stella Taylor. Who are you?" She turned her head to look through the chicken wire cage walls at a little girl. She was in the cage next to her, seated on the same cemented bottom as she was, only the other little girl was much younger. Seven, maybe, eight at the most. "And why are you so young?"

"My name's Marion. I was born in the UK lab, just outside of Scotland. I'm the third hybrid." She smiled unhappily.

"So they found a way to keep the gene stable even after fusion." Nami frowned, deeply disturbed by how a seven year old was just as calm, maybe even more so herself, about the whole situation.

"Yeah, we're being shipped to the new plant in Greece as we speak. They've made the final development on the composition so he can make us the ultimate... something or other. I wasn't listening." Marion shrugged, her deep green eyes trained ahead.

"Who are the others? When I escaped I was the only survivor of the experiments." Nami looked around from inside her coop, seeing at least eight other crates in the darkness.

"You can call me Maz, if you want. This is Kira." She pointed.

"Hi." The seven year old greeted with a heavy accent.

"She's Japanese/Malaysian. Doesn't speak English."

"And the others?"

"Six year old Katie, from France. Seven year old twins Liz and Yaz are from England, so they had to share a crate. Nine year old Victoria is from North Carolina but we just call her Belle, like Southern Belle. Eight year old Molly is from Alberta, Canada. Estella, at least that's what she told us her name was, is ten, and she's from Germany."

"Why are you all so young?" Nami frowned. She looked like a twelve year old, acted like a thousand year old sage, but was barely ten years old. The red haired girl beside her was only seven.

"They need to fuse the genes with us early on so they can see if we're going to survive for the duration. Most die at birth, or still in development. Some last a few years, but not many. We're all really young because we're the new crop harvest. When they discovered how to modify the genes, they tested us immediately, and liked the results." Maz shifted on her cold cage floor. "You're still the original, though."

"You have no idea how much I wish that weren't true."

"Danny, what've you got?" Mac asked sharply.

"Hey. I looked into all flights going to Greece, and it looks like two private flights are going to Greece today. One left a few hours ago, from the new airport outside of Manhattan. Another just left from a main airport an hour and a half ago." Danny said seriously.

"That's just enough time to get Stella to the air port and get her onto a private plane unnoticed, even if she were unconscious." Mac finished for him. "Dammit."

"What do you wanna do, Mac?"

"I've got a flight to catch." He said pointedly, walking out. He walked briskly to the elevator, his hands in his pockets.

He was going after them. He always did.

"So where exactly are we headed to in Greece?" Nami asked Maz.

"Rafina, a port just outside of Athens. We'll be taken to the containment facility there for a while." She answered flatly.

"Did you ever have a family?" Nami asked suddenly and also very blunt, not turning to look at her. "Or were you always a Sweet-Basil?"

"I can't remember. From what they've told me, my parents had to give me up so the farm wouldn't be burned down." She said with wide eyes. "What a morbid thought."

"Yeah, I think we all have some pretty... different stories." Nami nodded limply. "I was a Basilisk in New York."

"We know. I'm the third hybrid, Kira's the second, and you're the first. Nami, the original Basilisk-Hybrid. You're the icon they're trying to make us into. You were perfect, until you escaped. Us Sweet-Basils, still adoptable as far as the nuns can tell, have been in our respective St. Basil's orphanages until we were all brought back here with you."

"Great, so I'm the cause of all this." Nami rolled her eyes.

"Well, this whole ordeal is really E's doing. Edward Bonasera-"

"Beltaos. His name is Edward Beltaos. He thinks he's the father of Miss Stella Bonasera, but DNA confirms he isn't. He's a loon, gone off the deep end... " Nami looked up with a stormy expression and dark eyes, looking a lot like her father in that sense. "And he's killing for it."

"What does he want?"

"Whatever it is, he won't stop until he gets it."

Stella was awoken from her fairly peaceful sleep by a loud announcement coming from over her head.

"_Attention passenger, we will be landing in Greece in half an hour. Please return to your seat and stay there." _

Stella rolled her eyes. She was clearly the only one on the plane, so there was absolutely no need to announce things! She looked around her tiredly, trying to stay awake. Reasons to go back to sleep, however, outweighed the reasons to stay awake, so she did as she told herself.

"Whoa there, sweetheart, not so fast." A woman's voice teased.

"Hm?" Stella looked up and could've sworn she was staring at herself after getting severe plastic surgery. "Who-?"

"Sh. Just relax, little sister." The voice said a little sharper. She slapped Stella across the face, leaving scratches. "Shut up."

"Who the hell are you?!" Stella bit.

"Anemone. You're my younger sister, Stella. Apparently." Anemone grumbled bitterly.

"Oh for the love of-Edward Bonasera is not my father! You're not my sister!" Stella burst. "And my name is Stella Taylor!"

Anemone remained silent, her expression solid and blank. She sighed and put the blower above her on. Stella was weak against the strong sedative though her last glare was right at Anemone. She sighed.

Who was this woman, Stella Bonasera-Taylor?

Mac finished purchasing his ticket online and shut down his laptop. He came back out of their room with a black T-shirt and leather jacket on with black jeans. He left his badge on Stella's side night table and walked out, closing the door behind him. He turned, only to find Procter looking up at him with begging eyes. He sighed. "Sorry, boy. I'm going to get them now. If I don't come back... "

Procter bowed his head.

"Come on." Mac swooped him under his arm and left, locking their home behind him.

When he arrived at the lab he found Lindsay, Angell, Hawkes, Flack and Danny waiting for him. He smiled.

"We're comin' with ya, Mac." Danny spoke first.

"Danny, it's gonna be dangerous, I -"

"So is working here, but that hasn't stopped us." The blond man smirked. "That little girl is part of this family. We're coming."

Lindsay took Procter from Mac so he could hug everyone. "We'll be waiting here, so come back safely. All of you."

"We will." All three Mac, Danny and Flack said.

"Take care." The girls gave their boys pecks on the cheek while Procter licked Mac's face, much to his chagrin, making everyone laugh.

"We'll be back."


	16. Put the Pawns in Place

Put the Pawns in Place

"Get up!" The same man from New York said harshly. He unlatched her cage. The cold clang of the padlock against the metal latch and wooden frame hurt her ears, which had adjusted to the near silence. He dragged her out by her hair, throwing her onto the dusty old air strip without a second thought.

"Mm... what? No red carpet?" She asked sarcastically, rolling over and getting up slowly. Her body shook with fatigue and her muscles were dead-set against moving in any way.

"Come on." He growled, dragging her by her hair again.

The building they were taking them into was an old abandoned hanger for planes, now filled with crates and shipping cargo holds. The outside was run down but otherwise normal looking. No one would ever guess, let alone notice orphaned kids being kept inside.

"Who are you, anyway? I remember you're the one who found me in New York the day I shot the ladder down." She scowled up at him.

"My name's Lawrence Denver." He grunted.

"I'd nice to meet you, but, hell, it really wasn't." Nami bit.

"Get in there!" He shoved her into the hangar roughly. She stabled herself in time to see him hit the button to close the steel door.

"Hey! Where are you taking the other kids?!" She demanded sharply, worried about them.

"They're going straight to the new research plant." Denver said.

"Where's that?"

"Yeah, like I'd tell you. You'll join them soon enough. We just want to do some experiments with them before bringing you in."

"What do you plan to do with them?" She asked darkly.

"Nothing that'll kill 'em." He laughed deeply as the door finally closed down enough to block his view of Nami.

"Hey! If you hurt those kids-!" She ran at the door and banged on it with her fist, causing loud sounds and a few minor dents, but not even she could get out. That was the point, she guessed. "Damn you!"

"Sleep tight, princess! Your mommy and daddy can't help you!"

She wheeled around and slammed the steel so hard she could've broken it had her hand been only the tiniest bit bigger. She breathed heavily, trying to calm her rage. She pulled her reddened fist out of the dent and looked at it with contempt. That was going to hurt eventually.

The empty hangar was dark, dank, damp, and dismal. The cold that emanated off the cold concrete floor and steel walls and ceiling made her shiver. The sun had gone down and there was little to no light in the place. The only light came from a hole in the ceiling.

She walked around a bit, listening for any potential ambushes, but all she heard was the clap of her sandals. The many wooden crates that were stacked high on top of each other made a labyrinth that was fairly easy to navigate through so long as you were smart enough to remember the markings on each crate. The date of shipping, receiving and destination were on the side of each crate, and Nami only had to remember which one's she'd already seen to find her way around. When they weren't on the crates, her eyes were looking up to the light that came from the hole. Finally she found the larger clearing where the spot of light made a nicely shaped pool of light. The moon was shining dimly through clouds, and looking, she could see the starry night.

She sunk down to the ground, sitting in the center of the spot. Her arms rested on her bent knees with her back slouched to ease it's soreness. Her head was bowed and her eyes heavy.

A wind came in and blew her hair lightly around her cheeks. The blue shine of the moon on her pure black hair was the brightest thing in the airdock. Her eyes caught the blue light around them and sucked it into their clear and reflective irises, giving them a faintly fuchsia color.

_Well, this is great, huh?_

_You finally got out, moved on, was starting to live a normal life when this happened. You found yourself a family, idiot!_

_Mom._

_Dad. _

_I guess never having real parents in the first place makes this whole thing even harder. All there is to do now is wait for my fate to be sealed. _

_Come on! You're Nami Stella Taylor! You don't give up!_

_I do if they have my mother and father too. They won't stop at anything, and that guy wants mom too. He'll... cripes. _

Nami looked up at the starry sky through the hole in the ceiling and concentrated on the stars. Millions of stars, glittering in the sky and in her eye's reflection. The tiny sparkle of the stars in her eyes mixed with the sparkle of her tears as they gathered and streamed down. She broke her gaze away from the starry night above her and dipped her head. She cried.

Her sobs echoed in the empty building, the reverb sending the echo right back to her ears, making her sick. She continued to cry, though, if anything just to get it off her chest. She was strong, but everyone has a breaking point, and Nami had reached hers. She cried for her mother, and her father, and for herself. She'd probably never get to cry again, so why not let it all out one last time?

_Talia Maridakis._

_The kind young woman who'd helped her as much as she could. A strong but delicate girl, beautiful and sweet but a thorn on the rose of simplicity. She'd told her about her sisters, and she wished she could help, but she was in no position to do anything at the time. _

"_Hey." Talia said to her as she was taken off the plane. Denver was approaching and they didn't have much time to talk. "You okay?"_

"_As possible, yeah." Nami mumbled drowsily. _

"_Here." Talia offered a sympathetic smile and a cheese sandwich to her in a bag. "It's not much, I'm afraid, but it's all I could get."_

"_Thank you." Nami said deeply, meaningfully, looking at the sandwich that could save her life at the right time and then back up at Talia. She was overcome by the incredibly kind gesture. _

"_Don't mention it. Take care, sweetie." She smiled, leaving._

_She'd risked her life to get her a simple sandwich. One little morsel of food that could mean life or death for her in a matter of hours. She was kind. The simple offer of that sandwich was the kindest thing she'd ever known. It reminded her of another kind, sandwich giving friend she knew once, before he died. She hoped Tali was okay._

"Dammit." She cursed to herself as her tears dried. She picked herself back up and began wandering around again. It wasn't as though she had anywhere to go or be, but she'd rather not waste energy being a pessimist. She was listening to the rough scrape of her sandal's bottom on the cement when something caught her eye.

_Manhattan, New York_

Home.

She looked up at the crate in wonder. Was this some kind of cruel sign? She had nothing better to do than find out, so she jumped up on one crate, then another until she was high enough to reach it. She found a loose board and pried it off easily. She let it fall to the ground with a loud clap of it hitting, but ignored it as best her sensitive ears could. She pulled others away until she could get a glimpse of what was inside.

_SPRMW_

It would look like a gun to anyone without experience. Possibly a dual barrel, handheld weapon of some sort. An FN P90. However, it was clearly not for such a straightforward purpose. The trigger was connected to a long vile of liquid where the barrel would be on an actual gun. The liquid was a clear, sick purple shade. Fishing it out of the crate she adjusted it on her arm and pulled the trigger, finding the whole thing disturbingly familiar; the purple liquid was a chemical mixture meant to invoke a variety reactions from their synthetic genes. The purple was meant to sedate their physical movements but spike their beta wave activity. Their brains were just as malleable as their bodies and genetics. She recognized the thing as what had been used to inject her own genes into her as a child. The scars she had on her back were caused by this.

Synthetic

Pressure

Release

Mechanic

Winder

Made by the same manufacturers of the Hybrid gene in the first place, it was made to altar the human's natural biology. Sick bastards.


	17. The Queen Left Unguarded

The Queen Left Unguarded

Cold.

The ground under her stiff form was very cold.

Stella put her palms on the concrete, lifting herself off the ground with difficulty. The last thing she remembered was being slapped across the face by a woman who thought she was her sister. The scratch marks were there to prove it too. Damn. She looked around her to see an old assembly line. Looking closer she could see forgotten rifles. Lovely. She was stuck in an abandoned weapons factory for the night. She forced herself to walk a little bit, looking at the machinery and such. The little dim light that filtered through the cracked windows provided only a little illumination in certain places.

Looking up she could see a window that was shattered completely, showing her the starry night above. She felt like if she were to shout maybe someone would hear her, and save her. That wasn't going to happen, though, she told herself solemnly in her head.

Mac.

He'd come for her, she was sure, but she didn't know if it excited her, scared her or both. Most likely both.

She loved him. He was her husband, the father of her child; of coarse she loved him. They were parents, lovers, partners, best friends. She wished she could see him just once more. She could still feel him on her. The things she loved to do, like hug him from behind or kiss him awake in the morning, still fresh in her memory.

"_Wakey-wakey." She whispered, kissing his cheek. "Mac?"_

"_Mm?" He hummed, raising his brows but not opening his eyes. _

"_Come on, baby, gotta get up." She urged, patting his cheek as best she could. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, protectively._

"_So?" He grumbled. _

"_So we gotta get up." She laughed. Normally the roles would be reversed and she'd be snuggling into him to avoid the sun. _

"_Why?" He grumbled, surely pouting cutely in good humor. _

"_We promised to take Nami to a movie in a theater today, remember?" She asked him sweetly, enjoying her husband's early morning company even more than that of the afternoons and nights. _

"_Right, we're going to see that movie with the guy in it." Mac mumbled to himself, letting go of Stella's petite waist and flopping onto his back with one arm hanging off the side of the king sized bed. _

"_That's right. The one with story, and the actors, that was filmed in the place." She laughed, curling back into his side and placing her hand on his chest. She ran two fingers in circles over his scar and smiled. "Come on, honey." _

"_Okay. You know you girls have me wrapped around your fingers." He smiled, kissing her lips once, twice, thrice and getting up. _

"_Yeah, we know." _

When he'd make coffee in the morning he'd set the cups on the counter for her to finish with sugar and cream. She'd come up behind him and wrap her arms around his firmly muscled torso, kissing behind his ear and along his strong jaw line.

"_Mm, smells good." She smiled, clasping her hands on his abs and rocking them both gently. She got on her toes to kiss behind his ear and whispered. "Is that for me, Mr. Taylor?"_

"_It is, Mrs. Taylor." He'd whisper back with his gruff, sexy voice._

"_Mm, why thank you." She smiled, taking it gratefully. She absentmindedly put the cream in his and handed it to him. "Here." _

"_Thanks, honey." He smiled warmly, kissing her forehead. "What do you think about dresses?"_

"_Well, they're not my favorite article of clothing, but somehow I think that's not what you meant." She smiled playfully. _

"_Have you found a wedding dress yet?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. His smile only grew when she broke her gaze to look around embarrassedly. _

"_Well, I saw a few I liked, but I needed help deciding. Lindsay, Angell and even Nami wanted to help." She mumbled. _

"_I see. Well, whatever you want to get. I only want the very best for my bride." He said lovingly, taking her hand. _

"_Mac, I'm paying for the dress." She said firmly. _

"_Isn't it the bride's family who pays for the wedding?"_

"_Well, yes-"_

"_And I'm your family, so there." He chuckled, knowing he had her. She snapped her jaw closed and pouted. "You know you love it." _

"_I love you." She sufficed, leaning over the table to kiss his lips. _

She loved spending time with her daughter. Nami had several sides, most very mature, but there was one more. A side only she and Mac got to see; a childish side that enjoyed acting like a small child completely attached to her parents. A little girl who held people's hands because it was the last memory she had of being loved. One who liked to swing her legs when her feet couldn't touch the ground. One who loved spending time with her mother, especially getting her hair brushed.

_Stella sat on the bed, cross legged, behind her daughter. She ran the hairbrush through her long damp locks easily._

"_Mom?" Nami spoke up. _

"_Yes, hon?" Stella responded automatically. _

"_When did you fall in love with dad?" She smiled in the mirror. _

"_Let me think... " Stella smiled back at her daughter in the mirror, looking in her eyes in it. "I've always loved him, but when I first fell in love with him... that might have been only a few years ago, and even then I didn't realize it. When I first realized I would never love anyone more than your father, I think it was when he brought me a coffee after my first apartment caught fire. I saw him come in with that sweet smile and I felt my heart start to flutter and my stomach did flip-flops and I'd never been so happy to see anyone in my whole life. I was talking with him after I'd given him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and I felt my heart begin to race again and my cheeks were turning red! Those are the signs of true love. I've never felt so safe and secure as I do with your father." _

"_He has that very soothing presence, ne?"_

"_Mm... he does. Your daddy's a very special man, sweetie. They just don't make men like him anymore. He's kind, caring, sweet, charming, handsome, gentle, strong, heroic, smart, tenacious, stubborn but understanding, and protective, and so many other things." _

"_He is pretty amazing."_

"_Oh, your father's just the most wonderful man imaginable." Stella sighed, slowing her hand as her mind drifted. _

_Nami smiled, feeling her legs dangle over the edge of the bed and the tug of the brush through her hair. "He also seems to evoke many a run-on sentence from you." _

_Stella raised an eyebrow at her daughter, who simply bowed her head. She sighed. "I never thought he'd feel the same, though. We've been friends for so long, I couldn't imagine him liking me." _

"_I guess you were wrong." Nami shrugged, happy to see her parents' love was strong and fresh. Having only learned of it so recently, they were still only wading into the ocean, but she was sure they'd all float along fine. _

"_And I didn't mind it at all." _

If anything, Stella loved loving her daughter and husband. Their relationship had only made the jump within the last week, so they were still on the _acting like love-stricken teenagers_ phase.

_Stella felt Mac's hand brush hers, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. He traced circles on the back then grasped it in his. She turned to him subtly and caught him trying to turn away and look innocent. They'd initially suggested Nami sit in between them, but she claimed she'd rather be on the inside of them, mainly because she knew they'd want to do mushy stuff during the romantic comedy and she didn't want to be the head over which they kissed. _

"_Enjoying the movie?" He whispered smartly. _

"_I haven't really been able to concentrate because _someone's _leg has been playing with mine." She whispered back playfully, referring to how his leg was brushing against her bare one for fun. _

"_Well, I can't imagine who's it is." He smirked, walking his fingers up to her shoulder to play with the strap of her sun dress. _

"_Mm. Don't start anything you can't finish, there, love." She sighed, reveling in the heat his touch ignited on her skin. _

"_I won't." He leaned over and captured her lips in his. It was supposed to be a quick, sweet, innocent kiss, but neither of them had the will power to pull away. They ended up deepening the kiss, pulling one another closer to each other and not registering the moans that came from one another except for the vibration. Their chests were heaving for breath, making them break apart for a moment. _

"_Ahem!" _

_They broke apart quickly to look up at a slightly irrate young man. He held a flashlight in his hand, pointed at the floor and looked none too pleased with their interruption. "Hate to interrupt, but you're disturbing the other viewers." _

_Stella felt all the heat in her body rush to her cheeks as she realized everyone was staring at her and Mac like they were the noisy teenagers making out in school. She was glad Mac couldn't see her bright red face as she felt the flaming heat encroach on her ears. Her hair was tied in a half-back style, making it impossible for her to hide behind her curls. She buried her face in Mac's neck, which she could also feel was hot with mortification, as the young man told them that if they didn't quiet down he'd ask them to leave. She vaguely felt Mac nod and place his hand on her back._

_He turned his head slightly and whispered. "You okay? You're really, really hot." _

_More heat rushed to her face at his choice of words. She let out what could've been mistaken for a squeak, but was actually a high pitched admittance. "For a thirty three year old mother who was just caught making out passionately with her husband, I'm good." _

"_Good. I love it when you're passionate." He smirked, holding her face in front of his and running his thumb over her lip. The gloss that covered their natural pink made them shine temptingly. _

"_Mom, dad, if you start kissing again he's gonna throw you out." Nami put in suddenly and smartly, munching her chocolate bar. _

Most of all, what Stella loved about her family, was warmth.

A loving warmth she felt with them. A safe, protective warmth.

Now, she was cold. She wished Mac's arms were there to hold her.

Cold.


	18. A King Without his Queen

A King Without His Queen

Mac couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Nami. About Stella. His wife. The love of his life who happened to be his best friend, as well. The breath taking Greek woman with a heart of gold.

The mother of their daughter. This woman, who felt such immense kindness that she took their girl in without hesitation. He loved her. He loved to wake up to her face in the morning, and close his eyes to it at night. He loved to catch her off guard, just to see that cute shade of pink rise to her cheeks. It made his heart thunder inside of him.

"_Mac?" Stella asked him in the fading darkness turning dawn. _

"_Mm?" He mumbled sleepily. _

"_You awake, babe?" She whispered in his ear, her hot breath heating his cheeks. Only his Stella could make him blush and his heart flutter with just a pet name. No one had ever called him babe. Only she could, of coarse. "Mac, my darling?"_

"_Stella, my love." He smiled, opening his eyes to find her right there. They slept like they were glued together; his arms around her waist almost possessively, one of hers on his side and the other on his shoulder or under her pillow. Her bright peridot eyes greeted him with smiles, her tan skin illuminated by the early golden morning sun. Her face was only an inch or two away from his, her curls spilling over her shoulder to tickle his. Her forehead leaned against his lovingly. _

"_What're you thinking?" She asked quietly. _

"_I'm thinking about how much I love you and Nami." He kissed the crown of her curls and brought her closer to him. _

"_We love you too." She sighed, snuggling up to him tighter and resting her head against his chest. "You're a wonderful father." _

"_I try. And what are you talking about, Stell? You're the best mother anyone could ever ask for." He praised her openly. _

_She laughed and kissed the scar over his heart. "Well, thank you honey, but, in all honesty, I never thought I'd be a good mother. I always thought I'd do something wrong, or they'd hate me, or I'd wind up not being able to take care of them properly and abandon them like my mother did me. It leaves a deep scar, Mac, and it never goes away."_

"_It heals, though. With love and care." He smiled at her, showing her his understanding of her feelings. He knew how painful it was for her, despite her lack of outward expression. He understood, and it made him sad to think how the world could hurt his beautiful Star. _

"_Yes, and she's healing too." Stella whispered. "I can't... how could anyone hurt something so precious?"_

"_I don't know Stell. I don't know how anyone could ever hurt you or Nami. You both deserve all the happiness in the world."_

He loved how Nami's eyes would light up the same way Stella's would when she learned something new, or saw someone she loved. He loved the way Stella loved to brush Nami's hair, just as he loved to brush her curls, though she insisted it only made them worse. He loved to call her his wife, and he loved to think about how he was hers.

_Mac saw Stella with his peripheral vision and smiled. Her form was rigid, arms crossed and foot tapping. She was jealous. "Hm?"_

"_I said, if you'd like to stop by it can be arranged." The blond, chesty lawyer said to him in a serious voice, but with a hint of flirtatiousness. Her hair went to the small of her back and the it didn't seem like she was wearing anything under her blazer, which exposed far more than what was appropriate. She was standing rather close to him, too, to show him the file. He was leaned over slightly, but she'd made herself quite comfortable by his face, making sure he could see down her shirt should he like... which he didn't. "The papers are all-"_

"_I beg your pardon Miss Lemon, but I must be going. Thank you for these. We'll be in touch." He interrupted her, making sure to excuse himself politely. "I-"_

"_Oh, believe me detective, it was my pleasure." She smirked. _

"_Daddy!" _

_Mac turned, only to have something hit his mid-section head on. It took him all of two seconds to realize it was his daughter, hugging his torso tightly. He placed a hand on her back and smiled, bending to meet her eyes properly. "Hi princess, what're you doing?"_

"_Mom wanted me to tell you it's time for your lunch break." Nami said happily, acting much younger than normal on purpose. _

"_I see, well, tell mom I'll be right over." He was a fine actor. He tugged the hem of Nami's sweater and kissed her cheek, sending her on her way as though it were normal. "If you'll excuse me, my wife calls."_

"_Yes... " Lemon said unhappily, biting her tongue inside her mouth. She juggled the files in her hands and watched the handsome detective go. He wasn't wearing a ring. That little girl, though... daddy?_

"_Hello, Stella, dear." He greeted her with an affectionate kiss on the cheek and nuzzle. He figured if she went to go to all the trouble of putting on such a show out of jealousy, he could put on his own show for fun. _

"_Mm, hello my darling." She sighed, leaning into his warm lips._

"_Haven't I told you a million times that you shouldn't ever be jealous?" He whispered into her ear, brushing a sheet of curls away. _

"_Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let bimbos throw themselves at you in the meantime. Besides, I'm not jealous. I just thought you were setting a bad example for Nami. After all, you are her father, and flirting with women isn't all that good a thing to do." Stella said all in one breath, immediately on her defense. _

"_You're the only one I flirt with." He said pointedly. _

"_Good." She smirked leaning in for another kiss on the cheek, which he gladly gave to her. She never thought he'd be affectionate in public, let alone in the lab, but she certainly wasn't complaining. _

He'd been so closed off since Claire died that he hadn't been able to let his own emotions out of his breaking heart. Stella had brought them out again, though. One by one, laying them out and helping him choose the right ones for the right times. He told his daughter about her.

"_Dad?"_

"_Yes, Nami?" Mac asked automatically, looking up from his cooking. He was making supper for Stella, after she'd gone to work for a few hours that day. Nami was seated on the couch with Procter by her side, as always. She was looking at the mantle of pictures. _

"_What was Claire like?" She asked sincerely. Her eyes were wide and inquisitive, but soft and patient. Just like her mother, she knew this was a dangerous question and that he'd need to take his time with it. _

"_Claire, my late wife?" _

"_Yes." _

_He looked down, trying to swallow his feelings. He missed her. He missed Claire, of coarse he did, but he was struggling. He felt he was betraying her in falling in love and having the daughter she always wanted, but at the same time he felt he was betraying Stella and Nami by not letting go of Claire. It was all very painful, and he didn't know how it would work out. He didn't like to think that Stella was his second wife, but at the same time he didn't want to forget the first. _

"_Dad... it's okay... to love them both." Nami said quietly. "Mom told me you miss her, and that you still love her." _

"_Your mother said that?" He asked incredulously. _

"_She also said that she missed her too. They were friends, and that... I would've loved her." She smiled sympathetically. _

"_You would, and she'd... " Mac turned the flame off and went to sit beside his daughter, minding the sleepy Procter on the other side. _

"_She'd love you." Stella said suddenly from the door. _

"_You're home." Mac got up and immediately swept her into a passionate, loving kiss and hugged her tight, holding her head to his. _

"_I'm home." She assured him, letting its double meaning sink in; he didn't have to choose. She loved him, and she would rather him still love Claire than forget her. He'd let go quite a bit. Not completely, but enough to let them happen. Her heart never ached with the thought of him loving her, or not loving her as much as he did Claire. She never thought those things, because who would she be to make him discard the memory of his wife and her friend? She couldn't do that to him. She simply loved him too much to do that to him. Too much. _

Stella was the one who was always there for him. Through thick and thin, whenever he needed her, there she was.

He turned to see Danny and Flack both nodding off, their heads bobbing up and down with their eyes shut. He smiled slightly.

He had trouble with letting things go. He would never let Claire go completely, but he'd managed to stretch himself a bit further.

He couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Nami, and about Stella.


	19. Sacrificial Moves

Sacrificial Moves

"There we go."

Nami was practically catatonic as the latch on her cage was whipped open harshly, hitting the wood and hurting her ears. She looked around her, her head heavy with fatigue. Exhaustion, really. It didn't even occur to her that she'd fallen asleep in the warehouse and that it was now the morning after. And she was back in that damn crate. It was starting to smell like her. "Hm?"

"Home sweet home." Denver smiled, shoving her out of the cage and throwing her to her knees. He quickly clipped something around her neck while Long bound her wrists.

Nami growled. This wasn't her home. It was miles and miles - hundreds of miles - away from her home. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Look around." He probed as he began to move, forcing her to move as well. She walked ahead of him while he kept her controlled with her _collar_. A small metal ring clipped tightly around her neck, making it impossible to move freely while he had the thing connected to a metal-mesh cord, and to the cord, a handle with a trigger.

Nami did so as best she could with her collar on and was disgusted. All over the place were children, young hybrid-gene experiments either waiting to be tested on or already infected. They all had something wrong. None of them were crying, but some were hugging their knees with teary eyes, or clearly starting to lose their sanity. One little girl with auburn curls and oceanic eyes was particularly disturbed. Her Brazilian face was young but already beautiful, though a dark smile played on her lips while her eyes were trained on Nami as she walked by. They locked eyes for only a moment but red and gold met blue and hazel as their minds connected. The other girl's eyes were hungrily taking in the sight of the new comer, eager to see how much blood would be shed this time. "What?"

"You're gonna die... gonna die-gonna die!" She laughed at Nami with a sickeningly insane cackle despite her age of only ten. She continued to laugh and thrash. Nami could see that had it not been for the chains that kept her against the wall, including the collar, she would've jumped at her just to make her shed the blood without wait.

"I'm not going to die." Nami bit lowly, looking away.

"Melt away! Melt away-you're gonna melt away!" She laughed, sweat rolling down her cheek and her unnaturally blue eyes becoming bloodshot. She continued to fight against her holdings like an animal.

"Shut up." Nami said quietly, moving on. A little girl. A girl probably no older than she, was already insane with what the genes had done to her. "Wait. Why are all of them girls?!"

"What do you mean?" Denver asked deeply but calmly.

"I haven't seen one boy involved with the hybrid project! Why are you only taking girls?" Nami asked sharply but without shouting.

"If we only come out with a certain amount of hybrids, we need to increase numbers somehow, so we're hoping you'll be able to pass on your synthetic genetics to your children."

"You... you sick bastard!" She wheeled around and tried to lunge for him but Long held her by her wrists and Denver simply pulled the trigger on the handle of her cord. She threw herself to the ground, leaning over her knees and grinding her teeth. "Gah!"

"Electrical shocks are sent straight to your nerve system and brain through that collar. It connects to your skin's sensors and sends shocks straight through them." Long explained flatly.

Nami couldn't speak. The shocks were racking her body and making all of her ache. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her muscles were constricting. Her forehead touched the tile floor of the lab while her feet tried to dig into something, but only managed to scuff the bottoms of her sandals as though she were about to run a marathon. When the shocks subsided and her muscles no longer tingled with pain, she sat up as best she could. "What do you want? What does he want?"

"Come here." They dragged her a little farther until she could see two large computer stations sat in front of a large glass window that looked down on something. When she looked through she could see the pale stone of a steep hill, almost a cliff. It could very well have been a cliff, actually. Patches of grass here and there blew wildly in the harsh winds that signaled an upcoming storm. She could see the horizon, just above the choppy ocean.

"So what is this?" She asked tiredly.

"This is whether or not you live."

The words chilled her. No more than the others they'd said to her, and no less than the thought of whether or not her parents were alright.

"You need to fight to live, now." Long sat her down in a seat and turned her away from him. She could hear the click-clack of metal. A gun? A gun was being taken into hand. "Hold still."

She felt him lift up the bottom of her shirt and she wanted nothing more than to kick him square in the crotch! He stopped, however, telling her he wasn't after sexual molestation. No, it would be worse. He trailed his fingers over the scar on her back, making her want to empty her stomach. He found the point of origin and stuck something long and sharp into it. A needle. Her eyes flew open when she felt cold liquid being pushed into her. The chemical injectors she found in the shipping warehouse; the SPRMW. She could feel the melange begin to take effect by heating her from the inside out. It was a bright green color, made to heighten their senses and abilities to the absolute limit. It was made to separate the ones who could survive it - take it - and the ones who could not. The ones who would die.

Her mind went into over drive. Her mouth opened to let out a scream. Her nails dug into whatever they could find - at the moment, a hardwood table, in which she left long animalistic claw marks. Her irises were small and her pupils dilating, almost slitted. She could feel her muscles clenching, her bones strengthening themselves. She could see everything. Feel everything. Hear everything. It was overwhelming.

"I don't think she's gonna make it." Long said to Denver.

"Just wait."

Blood. She could taste blood seeping from her mouth. She was clenching her teeth so tightly in pain she was making her gums bleed. Great. She brought one arm to wrap around her stomach as she tried not to lie down completely. If she did that she'd never get back up. "No... "

"Oh my god. Is she actually beating it?"

She guessed this was what killed or destabilized all those other kids. She could see why. It hurt like hell. "No... "

"Dammit to hell." Long picked up a phone and pressed line one.

"_What do you mean she's still stable. The injection should've overrode her brain waves. Those genes were synthetically made to be able to fuse with their already existing genes, thus enabling life in the synthetics and enhancing the human subject. She should be immortal!" _

"Well it hasn't. Her brain won't accept the shockwaves anymore. Her DNA isn't malleable... she's not a full hybrid anymore." Long muttered with furrowed brows. "She's just a useless kid to us, now."

"_No! I cannot afford to lose her! Make sure she doesn't die. Strap her down until I come to get her. She's still our hybrid. She's the ultimate. She's...s he's my little angel." _

Long hung up wit disgust at how E would refer to that _thing_ as his angel. She may have been his granddaughter, but Long was in it for the money to be made off the little beasts. Denver too. E was going off the deep end, even further, and he was going to take everyone with him.

"No!" Nami cried out, digging at the ground with her fingers and feet. She was actually trying to keep herself on the ground. From attacking them with ferocity. "No, no no! NO!!"

"Shut up!" Long made to swing at her but Denver stopped him.

"Don't! You want her to kill you? He told us to wait!" He growled.

"Little bitch deserves it." Long bit.

"He said he'd get her mother to talk. Until then, strap her in."

Nami's brain began to muddle through what her senses had given it. She could tell she was being strapped onto some kind of slab. Her arms were spread and tied at the wrist. Her legs were strapped by the ankles. Her hips were strapped down by the same kind of leather belt, and her neck had been bound as well. They'd attached some kind of sensors to her fingers. Wires hanging down were attached to the collar and she felt something prick the base of her neck the tiniest bit; they were reading her brain waves, she guessed. The slab stood in the air so she could look down at her torturers. Or rather, she could have had she been able to focus properly.

"Now be a good little girl and hold still."

Shocks began to surge through her again. They came through her fingers and into her neck from the machine she was hooked up to. Her head was upward, face marred with a pained expression. Her eyes were turning a deeper red color, a gleam of light spread over the glassy iris like a cut in it. She screamed, but like before, no one cared.

"Your mother-"

"Shut up!" She burst, still fighting the shocks. Her body was thrashing but she forced her mouth open. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

"What? Don't like us saying bad things about your mommy?"

"Where is she?! I'll kill you if you hurt her!" Nami screamed.

"She's fine, for now."

"I'll kill you-I'll kill you-I'll kill you!" She repeated.

"Dammit! Why isn't she succumbing?!"

"Don't hurt her!" Nami tugged against the leather binds around her but to no avail. "Don't you lay one finger on my mother!"

"She'll die soon enough."

"Don't you touch her!" Nami raged further. Beeps coming from machines filled the room as her lines skyrocketed. Most people wouldn't survive under such conditions. "I'll kill every one of you bastards!"

"Even your grandfather?"

Nami calmed only slightly, still glaring at them intensely. "There is no way that sick man fathered Stella Bonasera."

"He's her father."

"No, he isn't. He thinks he is, and that's what drives him. This."

"He's her father, just accept it, dipsh-"

"Just shut up. My mother could never share the same blood as the son of a bitch who tortured me like this for six years of my life!"

"Your mother tried to save you, but couldn't until after you... "

"My... you mean... the woman who gave birth to me." Nami fell silent. "That woman is not mother. Stella is."

"Your birth mother was a worker here in the lab. She was working on the hybrid project when she was pregnant with you. E injected the genes into you and it went from there. When they sent her to New York to give birth they never guessed she'd taken you to the St. Basil's there."

"So she left me for dead." Nami asked solemnly. It stung.

"No, she wanted to save you from this."

"Well, look where I am now... "


	20. A Queen and a Pawn in a Stalemate

A Queen and a Pawn in a Stalemate

Stella woke to the feeling of a bed under her.

Well, that didn't make any sense. She sat up uneasily, looking about her with caution. The walls were a creamy white and soothing to sore eyes. The bed itself was a double, with warm sheets and blankets, and a pillow like a cloud wrapped in cotton.

The room was fairly small. There was a door leading somewhere she had no desire to venture just yet, an oak armoire and desk next to each other, both with old iron rings to open them with. To her left there was a small table with a lamp on it, and to her right a window that led to a tiny balcony. She could feel the breeze come through the cracks of the double doors and tousle her curls lightly. She got up and wobbled a little to the balcony, where she could see the place sat atop a ledge on a cliff side. Below were a few other, smaller villas but she could see the ocean but a five minute walk away. The deep blue water crashed against the rocks of the cliff, turning a more turquoise to light blue color closer to the beaches. She leaned on the railing, feeling her black leather jacket blow around her slim waist. Her black tank top was slightly wrinkled, but only around the waist of her blue jeans.

"Excuse me."

Stella turned to the timid voice calling to her. Amaryllis, the younger of the Beltaos sisters. Her face, young and pretty, was marred with her mental unrest. "Amaryllis Beltaos."

Amaryllis' heart was thundering inside of her as she tried not to twiddle her thumbs; a childhood habit. Looking at the older woman before her, she couldn't meet her peridot eyes. Her own mint green ones rested on the floor. "Yes, ma'am."

"Look at me." Stella went over to the younger woman and tilted her head up. Amaryllis had honey curls to her shoulders and mint green eyes that reflected her inner fragility. She was trembling. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. How old are you?"

"Thirty, ma'am." She responded quickly.

"Stop with the ma'am, sweetie, I'm only a few years older than you." Stella let go of the girl's chattering jaw and smiled slightly. "I have a daughter myself, you know. You're safe with me."

"Yes, ma-Miss Stella." She nodded.

"Well, it's a start." Stella sighed, sitting on the bed.

"Miss Stella, my father and sister sent me to tell you they'll be back to get you later on. They want you to see something." She said.

"Something I don't want to, I'm sure." Stella hung her head. Her face changed all of a sudden, when her head shot up again. "Is it about Nami? What have they done to my daughter?! I swear if they-"

"Miss-"

"What did you do to her?!" Stella shouted, banging her fists on the walls. "I know you can hear me! What have you done to her?!"

"Miss Stella, please." Amaryllis repeated quietly, sadly, fearfully.

"If you touched one hair on my baby's head I'll kill you!"

"Miss Stella! Please!" Amaryllis turned the woman around and held her hands in her own to keep them still. "Please."

"Where is she?" Stella whispered.

"I don't know, but they do. I can't let you go anywhere, but rest assured that she's alive."

"I can't rest at all until I have my child in my arms." Stella exclaimed, pointing and putting a foot down.

"I... I know they're keeping her in the basement. They've put the new lab just below us, here in the villa. That's where they took her. I don't know where she is now, but-"

"Amaryllis!"

"Anemone!" Amaryllis whipped around in fear at the sound of her sister's voice. It was sharp and cynical, like always.

"Get back!" Anemone shoved her out of the way and confronted Stella. "Come with me."

Stella didn't have time to respond as Anemone snapped her fingers and two large men came in and took Stella out. Down the hall and into a sitting room, she could hear the sisters behind her arguing. They were speaking Greek, and she could even hear how their pronunciation had changed; Anemone was said faster, and with a more emphasis on the first _ne_ rather than the end, _nay_ sound. Thus it sounded like An-NE-mo-nay, rather than An-ne-mo-NAY. Amaryllis was barely audible, and garbled, though she could hear Anemone calling her Ryllis, for short. She heard Anemone snapping at Amaryllis for telling her about the lab, and she knew it wouldn't be long until she got violent. "Hey! It wasn't her! She didn't do anything wrong. It was me. I dragged it out of her."

"I don't believe you." Anemone quipped coldly.

"_Εγω ημουν_." Stella said in Greek.

"Sit down."

Stella did as she was told, or rather forced to do, as the men threw her onto the couch. The door opened to reveal a grey haired, but still somewhat handsome man. He was not round, but large, showing he was strongly built. His face. Stella froze. "Edward... "

"I see you recognize your old dad." He smiled, making her glare.

"You're not my father, Edward Beltaos. I don't know why you think you are, but you're mistaken." She said adamantly.

"I think not, my dear, I was the last man she was with before she... " He drifted off, making everyone else present very tense. "Left."

"What do you mean, left?" Stella squinched.

"She was an artistic woman. She left for New York when you were only a year and two months old."

"What happened?" Stella asked sharply.

"She... was killed."

Stella remained silent for only a moment. All her life, she felt incomplete without her mother. She felt abandoned, and unloved, but now she'd moved on. She was happy, because she finally had the familial love she'd been denied; that of her husband and daughter. "Where is Nami?"

"Oh yes, your little hissy-fit." Edward mumbled.

"Where is she?!" Stella asked again angrily.

"She's... she's fine, she's fine." Edward dismissed with a wave, going over to the small table by the door and getting a drink.

"What have you done to her?!" Stella shouted, now standing.

"Sit down, Stella!" Edward ordered. He went over to her and pulled out his phone. He clicked a button and shoved it in her face.

Stella looked at the thing with a shocked, sick expression. Her mouth was trying to sputter words while her eyes tried to leave the image but they couldn't. A cold sweat broke out as all of her blood rushed from her.

Nami.

On the screen Stella could see Nami thrashing and crying, screaming at them to stop. That if they hurt her, her mother, she'd kill them. How she was her mother, not whomever had given birth to her. She saw how they'd stuck that strange gun in her neck. On the side was SPRMW. It seemed to be something to wind up the senses and release them after building pressure. Nami was crying in hysterics.

"What?" Stella whispered to herself, reaching out and touching the screen gently before swatting it away so hard it broke against the wall.

"Stella-"

"What are you doing to her?!" She sobbed, horrified at the sight of her daughter like that. "What did you do?! Why are you hurting her?!"

"No, Stella, dear. We're not hurting her, we're helping her. She's going to become the immortal of the Starry Night, where she will take her place amongst the stars... as will you."

"Pardon?"

"You, my Athena, are a goddess, and I know how you've suffered. That's why I've brought you here, back home. You can be happy here. Nami too. Nike, the goddess of victory who is always seen at Athena's side." He smiled, clearly insane.

"I'm not Athena, and my little girl is not Nike." Stella shook her head at him, not liking where he was headed.

"No! You must take your place with your mother!" He shouted. "The stars, Stella, they're your destiny, not this place! You should be in the heavens with your family."

"I have a family here!"

"You and Nami will take your places, in the starry night, just wait. Speaking of young Nami, would you like to see her?"

She didn't have to speak. He snapped his fingers and Long and Denver came in, carrying a dozy Nami under the arms. "Nami?"

"Mom!" Nami collapsed into Stella's arms as she ran to her. She let out sob after sob of relief. "Mom."

"Nami, Nami, oh my baby." She gasped and whispered, trying to calm herself but to no avail. "Look at me, sweetie, are you hurt?"

"N-no... " She shook her head softly. "I'll be fine."

"If you touched one hair on her precious head I'll kill you." Stella said over her shoulder coldly to anyone who'd heard. She turned back to the bundle of a girl in her arms, on the floor. She rocked her daughter gently and kissed her hair and cheeks. "Oh Nami, I was so worried."

"I know. Me too." She whispered weakly, not having the strength for anything else. She was barely awake.

"Nami." Stella shook her head. "Nami Stella Taylor."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetie. Σ'αγαπώ. I love you too."


	21. Check

Check

"Mac, this is officer Caras, he's with the Greek police." Danny said to a distracted Mac, pointing to a Greek man behind him.

"I see, thank you for your assistance." Mac shook his hand weakly. He was left feeling empty with everything that had happened, and without his family.

"It is our pleasure." He said with a heavy Greek accent. The man had dark auburn hair only beginning to gray here and there. His goatee was already a lighter brown and his dark chocolate eyes were blank.

"I understand the circumstances are difficult, but I assure it's of the utmost importance." Mac said with nod of his head.

"I've been told it involves the lives of many children." He said, clearly choosing his words carefully.

"It does." A female voice suddenly put in.

"Talia Maridakis."

"Mac Taylor."

Mac looked at the young woman with a slightly strained expression. Her face looked darker than before in the dark of the night, but the half that was hit by the moonlight was as beautiful as ever. She blinked and met his stormy blue eyes. Her emerald green ones, gentle and soothing. His, turbulent, unsettled and inquisitive. She only smiled somewhat wanly and tilted her head. "Detective."

"Detective." She smiled warmly, bowing her head slightly for a moment then turning to the team he'd brought with him on the ride. "I take it you're here for the same reason I am."

"To find them." He confirmed seriously.

"I hope I can offer sufficient help." She said, squinting against the harsh coastal wind and her curls blowing in her eyes.

"Whatever help you can offer will be sufficient enough." He smiled a tiny smile before turning to his team. "Let's go."

"Where exactly are we goin' Mac?" Danny asked.

"Salamina. An island on which there's an abandoned military base that could very well be the Hybrid plant." He pointed into the dark. "A few miles... there it is."

"Could they be there?" Asked Flack.

"Let's hope so."

"Okay, come on!" Mac called, jumping off the boat and onto the ground of the island. The dirt and dead grass made soft crackling noises under his shoes with every step he took. The moon was bright, so the whole place had an ominous light to its already dusty appearance.

"Let's go!" Danny jumped off the boat next, followed by Flack, who helped Talia down.

"There." Mac looked at the abandoned building with a deep scowl. The windows were shattered, the door boarded, the stone walls were cracked and mutilated by the elements. It was a small looking thing from the outside, but he could only guess what they kept underground. He went up and tore the boards away from the doorway and waved.

"Come on, guys." Danny responded to the wave, drawing his weapon. "Let's do this."

"Right behind you, Danno." Flack nodded, drawing his gun as well. They all moved to the door with Mac and split into two lines. Flack looked at Mac. "It's your call, boss."

"Go!"

The loud bang of the door only lasted in their minds for only a second as they realized what was before them. The computers, the monitors, the tanks full of formaldehyde; none of it mattered.

They did.

Children, all under the age of ten, were strewn about like insignificant crumbs. One girl in particular, who had dark curls and blue-green translucent eyes, was bent backwards over a table that had toppled over. Tanks filled with liquid with wires in them held other kids, all dead. Their skin was rubbery and greying. Some of the tanks had cracked or broken completely. There were even children as young as three and four.

"Oh god." Mac felt himself begin to shake, suddenly seeing his daughter's face, but just as suddenly seeing it disappear.

Flack couldn't do it. He quickly ducked away and emptied his already empty stomach. Those kids... all...

Danny tried not to lose control of himself, but it was hard. The wide and lifeless eyes of...

"What the hell is this place?!"

"This... " Mac wanted nothing more than to just walk out that second. Go back to the safety and familiarity of New York, but, he couldn't leave without his family. They were his reason for living, now. The reason he took each step forward each day. "This is where they made the hybrid gene. The synthetic cell that could attach itself to other cells and devour them, replacing the human's metabolism with that of the ultimate creature. This is where they developed it by torturing kids."

"No... no, no, no! No! Don't tell me that Mac! Don't tell me these kids all died here because some son of a bitch thought he was a scientist! Don't tell me they all went through these horrible things just to be left for dead!"

"Danny... I can't... " Mac breathed.

"NO! Don't tell me OUR girl Nami was tortured here like these kids! Don't tell me that Mac!" Danny shouted angrily. He grabbed Mac's shoulder and spun him around to face him before grabbing his shirt collar. "Don't tell me your daughter lived through this hell! DON'T MAC! JUST DON'T!!"

Silence settled as Danny loosened his grip on Mac and bowed his head, breathing heavily. Don looked at his friends with sympathy. He went over to them and put his hands on both their shoulders. "Danny."

"God... I-I'm sorry, Mac. I dunno what happened, I just-"

"It's alright, Danny." Mac said with his head still down. "She... wouldn't want me to be mad at you."

"Mac." Danny hugged his older friend briefly before looking back into the hell-hole. "We gotta see what we can find."

"I don't know if I can go in there." Mac admitted shakily.

"It's alright. You-"

"No, no, I should." He swallowed and went in, cautiously. He didn't have his hand on his gun; it lay limply by his side. He looked straight ahead at the flickering light source. He ignored the children, dead with their gray skin and lifeless faces. When he'd finally made it there he focused only on tapping the keys to go through the abandoned information. "Still on. Someone left in a hurry."

"What've you got?" Danny asked with a low, growling voice.

"Details on development. Names and past homes. Employees-what?" Mac frowned.

"What?" Danny asked.

"What?" Don repeated.

"Mac?" Danny looked at the screen. "Who is this?"

"I think she's Nami's birth mother."

The woman had a stunning face. Long, dark hair pulled back, but slightly curly framed her face in side bangs. Honeycomb eyes were deep and bright behind glasses. Her name was listed only as Akane.

"She-Nami looks just like her." Danny frowned deeply.

"Yeah." Mac heaved a sigh.

"Come on, Mac." Danny turned to leave, thinking Mac had too.

"Yeah." Don and Danny moved to leave first, when they heard a beeping. It was faint, but they were trained to notice the unobvious. "Hear that?"

"Let's get out of here!" Danny shouted as they scrambled. "Mac!"

"Hold on!" He shouted back.

"No, Mac! We gotta go!" Danny shouted again forcefully.

"Get out of here! I'll only be a second!" His eyes went back to the monitor and flew over the last bit of information before he felt both Danny and Flack drag him away. He turned on his heel and ran out with them, the only thought in his head making him smile; Stella would kill him for putting himself in danger like this.

"What's going on?" Talia asked before Don took her by the arms and swept her onto the boat. "What the-?!"

"It's gonna blow!"

Fwoosh!!

The implosion was muted by the flames that engulfed the building in an instant. The tower of red shot up into the sky and then faded slowly. The building crashed in on itself, destroying everything they'd wanted to hide effectively.

Mac watched as the only trace of their evidence went up in smoke. They needed that place to prove Edward's corrupt experimentation, but now he would continue on in his dirty government scheme scot-free.

Danny shielded his eyes from the harsh light and held his breath. The whole damn thing was crazy, and now they'd never get to prove it.

Flack held an arm above his face and felt the hot wind hit his cheeks. It made him feel suffocated.

Talia squeezed her eyes shut against it and covered her head, bending over and leaning a little behind Flack. Her curls were tossed over her shoulder from the gust. When the whole thing subsided at least little they all looked at the ruins of the building. "Oh god."

"What now?" Danny asked with a sigh and slumped shoulders.

"We go to Edward Beltaos' villa." Talia spoke up.

"Where's that?" Danny asked flatly.

"A few miles down the coast line to the east." She pointed.

"You know the last time you gave us directions it didn't turn out so well." He dead panned.

"Danny!" Flack bit.

"You're right... I'm so sorry, I'm just... " He shook his spiky haired head, adjusting his glasses.

"I understand." She smiled. "Your name's Danny, ne?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I have a, um, friend, named Danny." She smiled fondly.

"A friend? Ah... " He smiled back, getting the drift. "I have a friend too. Her name's Lindsay."

"I see. And she's one of those special friends." Talia nodded.

"Very special." He chuckled. She reminded him of Nami.

"It's good to have those friends you love." She let her eyes drift to Mac, who was talking to Flack about who knew what.

"Yeah, we've been friends for a while, but Mac and Stella have been best friends pretty much forever." He looked at her and earned an inquisitive look in return. "No, I mean, like, actual friends. I don't think they became _special_ friends until they adopted Nami. They've always had this deep connection and we all thought they'd admit they were in love with each other long ago, but they're both just too damn stubborn."

"Ah yes, the faulted stubbornness. I haven't met Stella but I think I'd like her." Talia smiled at him. "I know Mac really loves her."

"More than we can imagine together, and I have quite the imagination." He pointed out. "They belong together."

"And with Nami."

"Yeah. With their little girl."

"Danny. Talia." Mac waved them over.

"Yes, sir." The both responded.

"We're going to Beltaos' manner on foot. We're on an infiltration mission, now." He stated even more serious than he was before.

"Wait, the place is guarded like the Queen's jewels and the President put together. There's no way anyone can get near that place." Talia put in. "Not even the police."

"Then how do we get to him?" Asked Mac.

"Let me go in. Give me a wire and you'll hear everything. He took my sisters, that's why I have to work with him. It's a wonder I'm not wired right now." She rolled her eyes for just a moment. "I can get in without question. I'll tell you if and-or when to move in."

"Okay, then-"

"Mac, you're putting yourself in serious danger here. Now that he has Nami and Stella anyone else is as significant to him as a fly on the coffee table to him. You guys need to stay at a distance." Talia frowned.

"Alright. We'll get as close as we can and wait for your signal." Mac said before turning to get her wire and hook it up.

"I warn you, as close as you can get might be in a tree half a mile away."


	22. Where For Art Though?

Where For Art Thou?

"Maridakis." Talia said into the intercom, pressing the button and holding it down.

"Alright. Come on in."

She did so, walking with long, confident strides despite herself. Her hands were fisted in nervousness and she was nibbling the inside of her lip. If she were caught... no! No, she couldn't let that happen! She took in a breath and let it out slowly, composing herself. "Okay."

"Talia."

She whipped around to see Amaryllis, face as docile as ever. She let out her gasp in a sigh of relief. " Amaryllis, you have to stop doing that. Put a bell around your neck, bring a trumpet with you, anything!"

"Sorry." She smiled and shrugged, falling alongside the younger woman in stride. "Where have you been?"

"Why does he want to know?" Talia asked bitterly.

"No, not for him. Just wondering." Amaryllis clarified sweetly.

"Oh, just meeting a friend." She smiled weakly.

"I see." Amaryllis looked at her feet for a moment, contemplating whether or not to tell her. She decided and gathered up all her courage and just do it. "Edward has spoken to Nami and Stella. He let them see each other after they failed to reignite the cell generation with the SPRMW. They're sleeping in her room, now."

"What?!" Talia snapped.

"I'm sorry. Nami's hybrid gene has stopped reproducing, so they pretty much tortured her for nothing. He told Stella about her mother, and she knows about the lab." Amaryllis said quietly. Talia could only nod and hope Mac and the others were getting all of it. "How he loved her and how she was loved by her mother after all."

"What else? Which room are they in now?" She asked.

"Edward told her about his plan to make them the immortal Athena and Nike. He hasn't put it into action yet, but as soon as he has the means to kill him he will."

Talia heard a low growl come from her earpiece which she could only guess was Mac, barely controlling his anger. "Right."

"They're in the east side balcony room as we speak." Amaryllis finished, turning to face Talia completely. She dropped her voice to a whisper and made sure no one could hear them. "They're not guarded. Anemone and they are all with father discussing the plans. The entire wing is clear except for the alarms and locks."

"Thank you."

Stella tried to sleep but found herself less than able. Her mind was racing too fast to even settle on one thought, let alone sleep. Everything that had happened to change her life had happened at the speed of light, and her mind was having a little trouble keeping up.

"Mm... " Nami frowned in her sleep for a moment.

"Sh, baby, I'm here." Stella kissed her daughter's forehead and smiled as her face relaxed again. A small smile appeared. She touched her smooth hair lightly and brushed a few strands from in front of her sweet face. She could see the trails of tears on her skin. The bruises and scrapes, and the nasty cut on her temple that bore eerie resemblance to the one she acquired after Frankie hit her across her cheek. Her wrists and ankles had cuts where she's struggled so hard against her bindings the leather had cut into her skin. "Oh, baby girl."

Nami continued to sleep soundly, breathing steadily and finally getting the rest she needed. The smile she wore reflected her pleasure in getting some shuteye. She was far too tired to dream, but it didn't really matter.

Stella adjusted herself beside Nami and pulled her closer in her arms. She was curled tightly in a ball with her mother's arms around her, resting on her back. Stella rested her head against her daughter's and silently wished her husband was there, just for a moment. She didn't want him to go through what they were going through, but she always thought of him as the man with all the answers; her guardian angel. Her protector, and now, Nami's. She wished they were all back home, in bed, sleeping soundly with only the sounds of Manhattan around them. She wished Nami were in her bed, sleeping peacefully with Procter with her, ever protective. She wished she were in her own bed with her husband's arms wrapped around her waist, shielding her from everything that could ever hurt her.

"Mother... " Nami mumbled into Stella's shoulder.

"I'm here, sweetheart. Mommy's here to protect you." She whispered. It troubled her greatly that her daughter always put the protection of others on her own shoulders; all her father's damn fault. Parents were supposed to protect their children, not the other way around! She used to think her mother had failed to protect her, but now she knew that she had been cherished by her mother, as it should be with mother and child. Now she cherished Nami, her child, and she would do everything in her power to make sure she was good enough a mother to her. "I promise I'll never leave you. I promise."

"Mm." Nami seemed to have heard the comforting words as her smile grew.

A harsh coastal wind blew against the doors, opening them and letting the cold in. Stella frowned and untangled herself from her daughter's grasp. She placed a hand on the door and looked out. She walked onto the balcony and watched the dark waves crash and collide in the sea just beyond the cliff. The dark was fading as the moon was almost gone, the sun almost rising. Her hand touched the cold stone of the balcony railing, awakening her senses further.

She sighed. Where was her husband now?

"Geez, this place is bigger than the whole PD!" Danny blustered.

"I know." Mac said from his place up in the tree. Talia wasn't exaggerating; they were set up under the cover of brush by the east wall. Mac was seated in a fork in the tree with binoculars. "Hm... I see something. Someone... standing on a balcony. I think it's Stella!"

"Stell?" Danny and Flack perked up.

"I have to see if it's her." He scrambled down with ease, considering, and handed the binoculars to Flack.

"Mac, you can't go in there. Talia hasn't given any word and it's way too dangerous." He told his older friend firmly.

"I have to see if it's Stella." Mac repeated even more adamantly.

"Mac-"

"I have to see her!" He shouted. "Let me go, Don."

"See if it's her. If it is, exchange words quick and get out o' there. If it's not, you know what to do."

"Yeah, I know." Mac nodded before getting a boost from the tree and going over the wall from there. He landed with a light thud on the other side and made sure the coast was clear. He ran from point to point, avoiding the flood lights. "Talia? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"I'm trying to get to the east side balcony. Are there any alarms or cameras I should know about?" He asked in a whisper.

"I guess you saw Stella, hm. No, there aren't any security cameras and the alarms are only on the inside. There's a vine that you should be able to climb up to get to the balcony. Be careful, and good luck."

"Thanks, I know I'll need it." He mumbled as he made it to the wall of the villa. Looking up he could see the bottom of the stone ledge. He looked to his left and saw the vine Talia was talking about, though it didn't look like anyone could climb the thing. It was dry and brittle, and no thicker than a piece of rope; not a thick rope, either. Still, he gripped a few pieces and put one foot in a nook, ready to pull himself up. It was surprisingly strong under his weight, though it cracked a bit.

"Who's there?"

"Hello?" Stella called again, positive the cracking wasn't in her imagination. She wasn't sure if calling out was the best idea, but she didn't even know where it was coming from. "Anyone?"

"Stella."

She froze. She knew that voice. The voice she heard whisper words of love to her every night. The voice that said _I love you_ to her and Nami every night. "Mac?"

"Stella." One hand gripped the broad railing, then two, and finally he managed to climb over. He was standing there, hand in his pocket, casual; like they were meeting for lunch. "Hi."

"Hi." She breathed, still shocked at seeing him. He was there, in the flesh, like she'd wished just a few minutes before. She was in a daze as he came close, brushed her cheek. "Are you really here?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm here."

"Mac." Stella whispered before leaning in to brush her lips against his. Nothing much, just an affirmation that he was there, but he took it further. He placed one hand at the small of her back, the other tangling itself in her curls and pulling her closer to him. When they both realized they were there, in each other's arms, and still in love - then, and only then - they could pull away. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."

"Flack and Danny are here too. We're watching the house until we can move in." He explained. "I saw you and... I had to come see you."

"Oh, Mac." She cupped his cheek and gave him another sweet, lingering kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Mac smiled warmly. He feared he would never hear those words from her lips again. "I always will."

"Always coming to my rescue." She laughed quietly, enjoying his warm arms around her waist and hers around his neck. He rocked her gently. Feeling the familiar warmth of love return to her, even in the cold wind of Greece, Stella smiled. "Mac, I love you so much, and I'm so happy to see you, but I don't want anything to happen to you. You-"

"I'm not leaving you, Stella. I never want to leave you again." He growled against the crown of her hair.

"We've missed you." She whispered.

"Nami." He smiled warmly. "Where is our little girl?"

"Asleep." She turned to look through the crack in the doors then back to Mac, tears pricking her eyes. "Mac, they did horrible things to her. They hurt her-they hurt our baby girl. They were-they-they-"

"Sh, sh, honey." Mac held his crying wife comfortingly, though he was trying not to lose control of himself. How could they... it sickened him to think about anyone laying a hand on his little girl. He wanted to rip each of the men who hurt her apart with his bare hands! An image of her turning to smile at him popped up; the time they were in the mall, their first time together as a family.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

"Footsteps. It might be Anemone." Stella said urgently. "If she finds you she'll kill you."

"I have to get back to the guys anyway." He mumbled. He gave her one last kiss, passionate and loving and full of intense longing. When he pulled away her lips tried to follow, whimpering for more. He looked at her, trying to make her understand. She did. "I'll be back."

"Alright Romeo, just don't leave me with the poison in hand."

"I'll be back before dawn breaks upon my Juliet's beautiful face."


	23. Acid Anemone and Elegant Amaryllis

Acid Anemone and Elegant Amaryllis

Anemone was nothing if not cynical. She'd been raised in grief and anger. Her entire existence was based around envy. Envy of the children her father spent all of his time with when she was still so young. Envy of Stella, who consumed his thoughts despite not even being his daughter. Envy of even Amaryllis who was younger than Stella and still got more attention than herseslf, but less than Stella.

Anemone knew more about Stella's mother than even Edward, the man obsessed with her, did.

Selene Bonasera was born in Naoussa, Greece. She had caramel curls and emerald eyes. She was a beautiful woman, truly Greek, and with an equally beautiful heart. As an artist, she went to New York with an exhibit in 1976 where her one year and two month old daughter was orphaned. She'd been killed brutally, but no one knew how or by whom. Her body was never found.

Stella Bonasera-erm... Taylor. The woman... the cause of all the woes in her life! That woman had taken her father's heart for hostage without even knowing him!

They looked alike, there was no denying it, which was why a tiny part of her feared, for a short while, that they really might have been related. That was impossible, however, because what her father didn't know was Selene was already two months pregnant when he met her.

Selene was the daughter of a wealthy family, well brought up and loved, until she became pregnant with an Italian sailor's daughter. He'd fled, leaving her with the baby. It was around that time that Edward had found her standing in the rain - wearing only a cloak to protect herself and her unborn baby - at Rafina, waiting for her beloved to return to her. He didn't though, and Edward had fallen in love with the mysterious beauty. They'd only spoken for that day, and afterwards she left for Italy to find her baby's father, who was never found. She gave birth to baby Stella in Thessaloniki, Greece seven months later. In retreating to a kind family who gave her housing for a short while, she and her daughter were happy. When she'd gotten the opportunity to go to America with an art exhibit she saw a chance to start again. She thanked the family that had been like her own and said goodbye, saying that if they didn't see her again she'd never let herself or her daughter forget their kindness. She kept that promise, and so did Stella Elena Bonasera. Selene took Stella, the infant, to the same dock she'd stood on almost a year ago. She said goodbye to her love - Stella's father - one last time and left with her baby. When she was killed, however, she never got the fresh start she had come for, but Stella could have it.

Anemone would've been... sixteen? Yes, about sixteen. When he met Selene Anemone was a fifteen year old without a mother, trying to look out for her sister through her jealousy. When he started torturing, killing children she was only sixteen. She'd seen what he'd done. He was taking lives and tossing them aside all because of Selene and Stella. He'd never do such a thing for Amaryllis, or her, or their mother. It sickened her.

So she'd turned her eyes and continued on with her life like she didn't know. Her father continued to treat her as just her mother's replacement and Amaryllis like she was Stella until he found the real one. Then he went and found out that Stella had turned up at a St. Basil's orphanage in New York; it was his chance to find the daughter he wanted. He knew Selene was dead. Killed by some monster in the night, but he still had Stella... in a sense.

She envied Stella for another reason, too: She'd found love.

Stella had found herself a good man who she was going to marry and raise a daughter with. They'd fallen in love from being friends and partners, and found themselves as soul mates.

She hated having to watch them. She hated watching them fall in love; the happy flush of their cheeks after a loving kiss, the glow in their skin after a special date, the warmth in their eyes reserved for just each other and their daughter. It made her want to empty her stomach, how mushy those two could be. Honestly! They worked in the same place for God's sake --they were constantly sneaking looks at each other, letting their hands brush each other's when passing a file or cup of coffee. They'd walk a little closer to each other than most workers, his hand on the small of her back, sometimes for entire hallway stretches. She would always go to his office before leaving and give him a little hug or brush on the cheek, and sometimes even a little kiss on the cheek.

It didn't help when Denver - the freak - was with her he started going on about how he would rape and kill Stella had he the chance. He'd go into some creepy place in his already twisted mind and start rambling about how hot she was and how he would love to feel her blood splash onto his face. Sick bastard.

Denver was a psychopath. There was no denying that. He was practically a sociopath; barely a step away. He felt no remorse for anything and enjoyed seeing other people suffer. His reason was because when he was young his father beat him within an inch of his life, leaving him with brain damage. This damage effected his memory and prevented him from remembering the specifics of his days, like when he had beat the kids within an inch of their lives. He had a deep, sinister laugh that could make Dracula run for cover. There was something about untimely death that made him laugh that god awful laugh for what could seem like ages.

Long was almost as bad! He was more aggressive and testosterone-filled, though. He acted on whims and impulses, unlike Denver, who just did it to amuse himself; like how a dog would chase its tail. Long, like Roger Kennedy, was a man who'd lost his family and got mixed up with Edward Beltaos by mistake. He, though, had killed his family. He'd set fire to his house with his wife and two month old son inside and watched it burn with a smile on his face.

They'd picked the weird ones, of coarse.

Her father, Edward was another nut job. He fell in love with a woman who'd been waiting for her baby's father in the rain. Their mother, Adrasteia, was a poor woman who was forced to marry him to help support her family. He'd never loved her...

Then Selene Bonasera had to tip him over the deep end!

He was already a little loony but after Selene he was just a total freak as far as she was concerned. He'd named her Anemone, and her sister Amaryllis, as their mother had such a Greek name as well. Anemone; a dismal name. Amaryllis; a pretty name for a pretty girl.

Stella; a beautiful name that possessed the same brilliance of life as the keeper, in this case. Stella Elena Bonasera. Stella Eleni Taylor. Whomever she was, Anemone didn't like her.

She hated her.

Amaryllis Beltaos; an innocent girl who's had the veil ripped from her eyes. Far too soon, for a youth like her. Her father's misdoing, her sister's cruelty, and everything in between had hurt her mind.

She loved her mother. Her mother was the only one who loved her, too. In between Anemone, the eldest daughter who came first in her father's plan, and Stella, the daughter who wasn't even his. Amaryllis was in the middle, neither fish nor foul, and lost in the shuffle. Not to her mother, though. Her mother always loved her.

Until she died.

When her father began losing his mind as well as his heart to the mysterious Selene she knew that she'd be on her own from then on. Anemone was distant, especially after their father had made her their mother's replacement. She worked in the shadows, doing as she pleased. Amaryllis could only work to please her father and sister, shoving her own feelings out of the way. Then Anemone dragged her in.

She came to her, one night, saying she'd found a way to bring them together again. Amaryllis was elated, to say the least, but it was a lie. Anemone had been working around the underground and black market organizations. She'd found a way to rid them of their father's shadow, but only because she'd twisted the lives of a few innocent people to do so. Talia Maridakis and her sisters were the scapegoats she'd picked this time. Kidnaping the sisters, getting Talia to pay them antique gold coins, coming up with a plan to rid them of Stella Bonasera forever; it was all so dark hearted, even for her sister.

Oh! Her name wasn't Bonasera, anymore, though.

She was Stella Taylor.

Well... it mattered not to her sister and father. Edward wanted only to have Stella as his to fill the void in him left by Adrasteia and Selene.

Although she knew it was a bad idea, she was happy for Miss Stella. It was so hard to find a good man to love and she'd found one of the few. Her husband, Mac Taylor, was quite a special man indeed, and sexy too! Mmmmmac... he was very handsome -oh, but a married man.

They had monitored them all since they came together with Nami, but not everything. They didn't know how exactly they'd gone from fostering the girl to being an actual item and the base of the Taylor family, but she couldn't care less so long as the good folks were happy. They could all see how much they loved each other. The way they had held each other's hands - not just because it was because couples did - because they liked the physical connection. How they would sneak looks at each other at work and turn away with color in their cheeks. She would always blush at his surprisingly romantic side. He would always find some kind of bold whim that would surprise even himself. Nami would always roll her eyes and smile fondly at her parent's love.

Amaryllis was ashamed and disgusted with herself for going along with her family's twisted plans, but she didn't have a choice in the matter. She didn't like hurting people and she knew it was killing her inside, slowly, but such was the sacrifice she'd made for them. Again, not the best idea, but it was too late for her.

Miss Stella and Mac both also made sacrifices for people, but for the greater good. They protected and served, and always put others before themselves. Ironically, of coarse they put their daughter before themselves, but their daughter put everyone above herself as well. It all went in a cycle of never ending - and sometimes frustrating - selflessness. They protected their daughter, she protected them, and they all protected the people who needed it.

She wished she could protect people like that. Save the innocent, be a hero; make people happy, for once, instead of suffer. She could only hope she'd have her day, though, and wait until she grew a backbone enough to stand up to her sister and father.

Ooh... that was yet another bad idea.

A scar on her shoulder reminded her of that.

One time, she had tried to tell Anemone that killing one particular family was unnecessary, that they could find another form of collateral to get them to hand over their daughter. Anemone was having none of it, though, and took a knife out, slashing her shoulder. The blade cut deep, almost hitting a main nerve. The scar was long and pale, a permanent reminder that she was as significant as a fly on the coffee table to them.

Talia Maridakis was also someone she admired. A strong, independent, selfless woman who was living for her sisters. She felt she'd found a kind of friend in Talia, despite it was her sister and father who'd caused her such strife. Talia was kind and sweet to her. She didn't seem to blame her for her sister's disappearances. She definitely blamed Edward and Anemone - that much was out and open but not for interpretation - but not her.

Mother.

She reminded her of her mother; soft and caring, but still strong. She looked up to Talia, and only hoped she could help her in the long run. But who was she helping now?

"Amaryllis."

"Yes?" She looked up to see her sister and Talia.

"I'm going with Maridakis to bring them down. It's almost time."

"Yes." Amaryllis looked helplessly as Anemone and the cattle prodded Talia went to bring Nami and Stella down to their end. "Yes."


	24. Styx

Styx

Nami woke to the early light of Greece hitting her eye slowly as the dawn broke. The clack of heels was approaching; first only one set, then two, the second softer than the first. She held her breath as they stopped and she could hear the door handle click. She shot up and stared at the door as it opened slowly. She watched carefully as a head of curls stepped into the room. Nami frowned. "Anemone."

"Good. You're awake." She scowled back at her.

"Nami-Anemone?" Stella dashed in from the balcony but froze and looked at her older lookalike with hatred. She moved to the bed slowly, her movements watched by Anemone like a predator watching its prey. "What do you want?"

"Father is ready to see you, that's what." She spat, venom dripping off her tongue. "You and your little brat."

"My daughter-"

"Isn't even your daughter." Anemone laughed smugly. She just laughed more as both Stella's and Nami's faces twisted to those of anger. "What? You both know it's true."

"You shut up!" Nami barked.

"What, you don't like me saying this bitch isn't your mommy?"

"I said shut up!" She jumped at Anemone but was caught by Stella, who held her arms firmly.

"That's enough, Nami." She said firmly but quietly.

"Smart woman." Anemone said in a chiding voice. "I guess you have the smarts to keep that animal-"

"Anemone." Talia cut in. "That's enough."

"Shut up, Maridakis!" She snarled, turning back to them. "You're coming with us."

"Miss Stella. Nami." Talia stepped out from behind Anemone and held out a hand. "Please."

"It's not like we have a choice in the matter anyway." Nami rolled her eyes. She offered Talia a quick smile before looking up at Anemone with intense eyes. "You. If you hurt my mother-"

"Stella, for god's sake, will you keep this little freak of yours under control?!" Anemone bit in a deeper, colder tone.

Stella went at Anemone this time, but a voice stopped her. She turned to see who it was. Seeing them made her blood turn to ice. The color drained from her skin and she could feel the very air around her begin to drop in temperature. "Edward."

"Come, my dears." He held out a hand and smiled, though he was silhouetted by the golden light that flashed from behind him.

"Hey! Do you see a tail back there?!" Both Stella and Nami asked.

"Oh, just come, won't you?" He sighed.

"Why, so you can kill us and-"

"You need to learn to watch your tongue, young lady." The words coming from his lips made her sick. The only people who could tell her that were the people she loved: her family. "Especially with your grandfather."

"I'm not even going to argue anymore." She grumbled, scrunching her face a bit and scrubbing it -much like her father would.

"Just come see what I have planned."

Stella and Nami were dragged outside, onto the windy cliff by Anemone and a silent Talia. Anemone had a strong, and if anything rough grasp on Stella, pushing her along. Tali had a gentle but solid grip on Nami's shoulder as they walked to the edge. She looked up at her new found friend and smiled sympathetically. "I haven't forgotten."

"Forgotten what?" Talia asked quietly.

"I promised I'd find a way to help you and your sisters. I haven't forgotten that, and if I've learned anything from my mother and father, it's that we never fail to fulfil a promise." She smiled to herself fondly. "My father and mother promised we'd be okay, and I trust them."

"Mac, you hear that?"

Talia saw the girl look up at her with surprise. She smiled warmly and bent to speak in an even more hushed tone. "I have your dad and uncles on a wire. They're hearing us right now."

"Shut up!" Anemone yelled back to them. "Get up here!"

When they'd arrived at the edge they could see that there was a platform on which there were three places for people to stand. Anemone and Talia led Stella and Nami to their respective sides and chained them around the wrists. Stepping back, they all turned to see Edward coming out with a forty-five caliber gun in his right hand.

Stella and Nami traded looks, both perturbed. Stella looked at Edward and swallowed. "What's the third place for?"

"I'm offering you to the River Styx, and I need a Caron for the ferry once you come to the border of Hades." He answered flatly, showing no emotion. "I think that Mac Taylor of yours will be a fitting ferryman."

"What?! No!" Stella protested instantly but Anemone stood in front of her and pulled out her own forty-five. Stella looked down at it then up to her and narrowed her eyes.

"You stay there, missy. You're all going to die one way or the other so why make me murder you right now? I mean it would be fun for me, but I want you all to die together." She smirked, showing her white teeth. "So step back."

"I know they're here." Edward said harshly. "I know they're watching the villa and I know they've had help."

Talia tensed, holding her breath. Had he known all this time? How? When did he find out she was helping them? How could he know they were close? He pointed at her and looked at her with the most disturbing expression she'd ever seen. "How?"

"Your sisters are being held in the abandoned St. Basil's orphanage; in the basement, under the main chapel. They should still be alive, but not for much longer." He smirked. "Those friends of yours better find them before-"

"What did you do to them?" Talia asked vehemently, her breath choppy behind her clenched teeth.

"Even less time now."

"No! Please-I did everything you asked!"

"Too late. I will kill your sisters, then I will kill you, and then I will send Athena, Nike and Caron on their way." He exclaimed.

"No you will not!" A shout from behind him came forcefully.

They all turned to see a young woman standing in the doorway. Her ocean blue sun dress blew around her knees and her curls were being tossed about her face. Her white shell blew loosely around her slim mid section and her white strap sandals were rooted firmly on the concrete step to the villa.

"Amaryllis, what are you doing?!" Anemone snapped at her.

"Anemone when are you going to realize this is all so wrong?" Amaryllis asked her angrily, walking over to her with strong strides. She came right up to her and looked up straight into her eyes. "Don't you get it?! You're toying with people's lives!"

"Don't speak to me of that! We've been doing this for years and you know why!" Anemone bit back, butting heads with her sister almost literally. "I thought you were with us on this! I thought you said-"

"You've forced every word from my mouth since mother died! I never wanted this! I never wanted you to kill all these innocent people!" Amaryllis shouted over the crashing of the waves.

"_I'm_ messing with people's lives?! You haven't exactly tried to stop us!"

"Yes, I did! And you did this to me for it!" Amaryllis pulled her shell off her shoulder to show her the scar she'd given her all that time ago. Anemone looked at it emotionlessly. "Look at it! Why?!"

"Why what?"

"Why would you do this to me?!" Amaryllis screamed, tears running down her face. "I'm your sister-does that mean nothing to you?!"

"Not if you keep acting this way." Anemone stated coldly.

"Now I see what's happened. What he's done to you. What you've done to yourself." Amaryllis looked at Stella briefly, recognition written in her mint green eyes. "Killing her and her family is not going to erase Selene. Neither will killing the Maridakis girls. What he chose to do was his mistake, you don't have to become as obsessed over it as he is!"

"That's where you're wrong. Amaryllis, I met Selene Bonasera once."

"How could that have happened?"

"I killed her."


	25. Killer

Killer

"I killed her!"

The words cut through the thick air like a knife, stabbing everyone's ears as the intensity had yet to settle. No one dared nor cared to do or say anything.

"Anemone, what did you say?" Edward asked his eldest daughter, looking at her with a stunned expression.

"You idiot." Anemone was laughing and sobbing at once, holding her hand over mouth to hide her sick smile. "After more than thirty years you realize I killed the woman you convinced yourself you loved!"

"How could you have killed her?!" Stella shouted angrily.

"I was only sixteen when he met your mother, Selene. Our mother had died years before but he didn't care. He was too preoccupied with your already pregnant mother and thinking he was your father!"

"But how would-"

"I went to New York to find her. I wanted to talk to her, ask her to convince him he wasn't her baby's father, but when I saw her all I wanted to do was get rid of her! I saw her, cradling that baby to her chest to protect it from the rain. I saw her, running to find shelter for that precious daughter of hers."

" Coming up behind her I could see the cape she had over them was clearly a Greek robe, and I knew it was the same Selene Bonasera that had stayed with Eleni and Lambros Maridakis with her new born. They had taken her in like their own daughter, despite them still trying to have a child of their own, thus Selene named her daughter Stella Eleni Bonasera."

"My parents told me about our distant relatives. My would be Aunt Selene and sister, Stella. Their little Asteri." Talia breathed, still trying to absorb the information.

"I took out a knife and I stabbed her. I stabbed her in the back and felt the blood on my face." Anemone was laughing and sobbing at the same time still, her hands held like the talons of a bird ready to strike its prey. Her eyes were wild and her laughs choppy and breathless, coming only through her twisted amusement and/or misery. "I stuck that knife in her back but she just kept running, trying to protect that goddam baby! I stabbed her again and again and AGAIN but she wouldn't die!"

"Anemone, please-" Edward began, but he was stopped when she turned her hating gaze on him.

"You! You, my father, didn't give a damn about me! You didn't give a damn about me or my mother or my sister! All you cared about was her-so I killed her!"

"No-"

"I was going to kill you too!" She shouted at Stella, pointing to her. "But I let you live because your mother had crawled all the way to the stoop of St. Basil's, to make sure you were out of the rain. Now I wish I had killed you. That way his obsession wouldn't have turned on you and I wouldn't have to kill all of you now!"

"Anemone, you don't have to kill anyone!" Nami shouted, trying to keep the bloodshed to a minimum, though she didn't see how it was going to be at all possible. All that mattered to her was keeping her mother and Talia safe for as long as possible. "This isn't the way to do this!"

"I beg to differ! As a matter of fact, killing you is the only way to deal with you once and for all!" She pointed the gun at Stella, who had no way of avoiding the shot so long as she was chained to her damn place. Her main concern wasn't even that, though; Nami was chained in place as well, and as far as she could see, there was no hope for anyone.

"Anemone please!" Amaryllis sobbed. "Stop it! Stop it-STOP KILLING THEM!"

"Shut up Amaryllis!"

"Stop killing innocent people!"

"I said shut up!" Anemone whipped back around to Stella. "She's going to die one way or another, and I want her to die at my hands!"

"No!" Nami screamed.

_Bang!!_

The shot echoed through the cliffs and rang all through the small shoreline. The sound had startled them, but only in the back of their minds. It was all mostly background noise as what was really pounding in their eardrums was their heartbeats.

"After thirty years, you finally see. You, my father... I hate you."

Blood seeped out of Edward's mouth, first just the corners, but then a huge glob of it rolled out and from then it never stopped. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead as the wound in his stomach began to show as well. A puddle of blood formed where the bullet went through his diaphragm and lodged itself in his spinal chord. "Ane... "

"Go to hell." She murmured, watching him die with pleasure. As he slumped to the ground she turned to the stunned crowd behind her. "Change of plans! We're going to St. Basil's and killing you all there."

"Anemone, you've fulfilled the purpose of all this. Selene and Edward are both dead, you're free." Nami said evenly, her voice not as strong as normal, and letting the wind carry it.

"No, I won't be satisfied until all of you are dead." She retorted with little to no emotion. She turned to the petrified Talia. "Tell Denver and Long to bring him up to the church."

"Denver... ?"

Mac, Danny and Flack were beat up bad.

Denver and Long had ambushed them with automatic weapons, taking the three men down easily. They'd beaten them to a pulp, for their own pleasure, too.

Flack was pretty bad, though he'd still been through worse. His wounds would heal quickly; just some bruises and cuts, maybe a cracked rib or two, but those would heal with time and calcium.

Danny was much worse. His glasses were long forgotten, shattered and lying a distance away from their bodies. His muscles were sore and bruised, refusing to move in any way. They protested loudly when he tried to pick himself off the dirt, buckling under him like cheap beams of wood. A cut above his left eye was bleeding profusely.

Mac was either the best or the worst, depending; he was fairly beat up but they'd held back. His spirit was in the most pain, as he now had no idea how Stella and/or Nami were doing. The fact that they'd known about their surveillance and their flawless assault left him with pessimistic thoughts.

The trudge up the crag was torturous. Not only on their fatigued and sore bodies, but on their spirits as well. The cliff was rugged, with only the faintest trace of a path up the rocks to the abandoned cathedral.

The building stood high and proud and against the impending storm, it's cracked rock walls and musty old wooden doors strangely calm. The stone stoop was large, large enough to hold them all.

Anemone hauled one huge oak door open, Mac the other, and proceeded in. She dragged Nami behind her by the collar.

Nami let her head droop, her eyes barely lively enough to scan the inside. The inner sanctum was warm, yet very cold. Their footsteps were hallow on the red carpet, leading down a long corridor and to the chapel. She looked up slightly, only to see Anemone's back. Walking behind her was like walking behind a two-by-four piece of wood; stiff, not all that good to be behind, and beige and brown, with a few dark spots. She could also break a two-by-four easily in multiple ways. She was in no such a position to do so, though.

Stella and Mac were chained to each other's wrists and prodded behind them. Their heads hung down, concentrating on their measured steps rather than their impending doom.

Her curls obstructed her view, and more importantly, obstructed other's views of her. Her face was set in stone, grim and mournful. Tears wouldn't fall, but she felt them there, wanting to. Her limp hands brushed Mac's every once in a while, but they were too numb with fear and adrenaline to feel the spark of fire that was usually there. Her hands were cold and trembling, his, rough and clenched.

He looked at their feet as they scuffled along, careful not to trip either of them other up. He'd taken a step just a little too large for her on the cliff and had barely caught her before she fell onto the rock. He'd grabbed her and pulled her up, and for a moment he was reminded of a happy time. It ended abruptly, however, as Anemone told them to break it up. Now, he felt like he'd failed to protect the woman (and girl) in his life again.

"Here." The place had been abandoned for quite some time, but the main chapel, at least, was kept nicely. The benches and altars were nicely furnished and even the piano seemed well cared for.

"What now?" Nami asked tiredly.

"I'm going to blow your brains out." Anemone said quickly, spinning on her heel and clicking the safety off so fast Nami thought she'd actually pulled the trigger. She didn't even get the chance to close her eyes completely, just squint. "Ha! Already have you jumping."

"No! No-please! She's just a little girl!" Stella pleated desperately. "Anemone you've killed your father, my mother... please."

"I've killed hundreds of people by now, you think I care about a few more?" She scoffed.

"I'm begging you. Begging you. Let my daughter go."

"You got a daughter! You got a family!" Anemone snarled.

"Let them go!" Mac shouted.

"Shut up!"

"Anemone, I'm the hybrid you need! You don't have to kill them!"

"You have to let her go! She's only ten!"

"I said shut up!"

"Listen to me! What about Amaryllis?!"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Killing cops will get you no where!"

"Dammit to hell!" Anemone ran one hand through her straw-like curls, beginning to laugh and sob again, just as she had on the cliff. She raised the gun to the ceiling and shot three times, startling the other three people. "Denver and Long are going to kill the Maridakis sisters and Amaryllis! Your little friends are being disposed of as we speak! You're all going to die so just shut up and stop yelling!"

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Nami asked her, lowering her voice but keeping her tongue sharp if needed.

"You shut up!" Anemone flew close to Nami, pointing her manicured nail and cocking the gun in her other hand. Stella and Mac tried to move but were still chained together, not to mention Anemone had their daughter's life in her cold-sweaty hands. "You-you don't-"

"I don't what, Anemone? I don't know you? I don't know what it's like?" Nami began to smirk, enraging her captor further. "You're very ill, Anemone, but we can help you. We can still help you, but you have to let us go."

"No! No! I'm not stupid!"

"Who told you that? Did your father call you stupid? He did, didn't he? He called you a stupid little girl, I bet."

"Shut up-dammit!"

"He called me one, and I wasn't even his daughter. He hurt you, time, after time, after time, didn't he?"

"No!"

"He hurt you and your sister, and your mother, but you couldn't do anything because then he would just hurt you more. You had to hurt him. You had to make him pay for hurting you."

"Shut up or I'll kill you!"

"Killing me... that's how you try to make the pain stop? You need to stop the hurting so you break other people's hearts."

"That's it!" Anemone grabbed Nami by her shirt collar and pressed the cold barrel to her forehead. Her black bangs rustled around the metal, though her face remained stoic.

"If you kill me... " Nami lifted her sad rouge eyes to Anemone. As they hung down they were lifeless, but raising them up to Anemone's sharp green ones, they overtook them like a dead forest by wildfire.

A blade with blood cutting through a falling leaf.

The dangerous gleam that was usually there had changed; it was tenfold as she glared at her with a fire blazing in them.

"You can not harm them."

Anemone glared down at the girl, not knowing what to say or do. She could barely think a coherent thought without being dragged back into the depths of those smoldering embers of eyes. "What?"

"If you shoot me right here right now we both know I'll probably live for a few minutes more, and if I find that you've hurt them after killing me, by god-I'll drag you down to hell myself."

"Fine." Anemone let her eyelids drift over her eyes, closing halfway to keep the blood in them to a minimum. She pressed the barrel into Nami's forehead, who simply closed her eyes in resignation.

"Don't hurt them."

"Talia... I'm sorry." Amaryllis shook her head, biting her lip to stifle her childish sobs. Her salty tears ran over her cheeks and lips thickly. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't blame you for this Amaryllis." Talia said with a surprised and comforting tone. "If anything, you've helped."

"Really?" She asked quietly.

"Really. You've managed to convince Anemone to keep my sisters alive this long. For that, I can never thank you enough." She smiled sadly. "I wish I could've seen them one more time."

"How old are they?"

"Amanda is twenty, and making the most of her college party days, if you know what I mean. Elena is named after our mother Eleni, and 16. Daniella, the youngest, is only 12." Talia smiled wistfully, remembering her sisters fondly but sadly. "The last time I saw them... Amanda was on her way to class, Elena was off to a cooking class and Daniella was at home."

"I see." Amaryllis nodded numbly. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Talia said, earning a questioning look. "I'm sorry your sister is such a bitch. No offense."

"None taken."

Danny and Flack were beat up bad.

Flack had a few bruises and scrapes, but aside from that, he wasn't really that bad. His bruises and scrapes hurt like hell, and he could've had a cracked rib, but that he could live with. Death; harder to live with.

Danny was worse. He was beaten to a pulp, kicked and punched until he couldn't even stand on his own. His glasses lay a few feet away from them, splattered with his blood and cracked. He could barely breathe.

"Ready to die, boys?" Denver chuckled deeply, aiming his gun.

"Get away from them!"


	26. To Protect and Save

To Protect and Save

_Those sworn to protect and serve have chosen to devote their lives to others. To lay down their lives for the people. _

_To lie down and die at the hands of another. _

_When someone is chosen to protect and serve the people they must be willing to make any sacrifice. The needs of many outweigh the wants of few, and that includes the desire to live. _

_Would you die for someone? _

_Anyone, or just someone you cared about?_

Mac Taylor had once sworn to protect the lives of many, even at the cost of his own. Now he was letting another life slip through his fingers. The life of his daughter.

"Just do it."

The words hung heavy in the cold air, stinging everyone.

"You're seriously resigning yourself to death." Anemone squinted.

"The truth is, I'm going to die sooner than you think anyway."

Stella froze like a flower weighed down in the snow. Her body in its withering stance didn't move an inch. Her heart stopped beating, she was sure. "Nami? What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry."

Nami spared her parents a final look, turning her head slightly. She could see the fear in their eyes, and she hated to make them suffer another loss, but she wanted them to keep living. She knew this was going to hurt them, but it was something she had to do. She couldn't meet their eyes as tears gathered in hers. She could feel the tingling around her injection scars become a burning sensation that shot fire through her body. "I love you. I love you so much, but I can't stay."

"No... no please." Stella whispered.

"Shoot the goddam gun!"

"Danny! Flack!"

"Lindsay?" Danny frowned as warm hands gripped his shoulders.

"Get away from them!" A sharper voice shouted, followed immediately by gunshots. "Sonofabitch!"

"Jess?!" Don snapped.

"Dammit! Who invited these bitches?!" Long shouted, dodging behind a tree.

"Yeah! Hide that ugly ass!" Angell snarled, loading another clip and standing over Flack. She helped him up - Lindsay, Danny - and hid behind a tree of their own.

"Dammit!" Long remained behind the tree but pointed the gun barrel over his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The wildfire of bullets didn't affect him in the least, as his only concern was whether he hit the unexpected guests or not.

Angell and Lindsay held the boys up and out of the line of fire as best they could. Quite a number of the randomly aimed bullets hit and/or grazed the trees. Angell cocked her gun when Don hissed beside her, looking at the bullet graze he'd found on his left arm. When the barrage stopped they risked six shots each but hadn't gotten any farther than the assailants behind the trees. Angell loaded another magazine and leaned Don against the tree, making sure he was completely out of danger. She grabbed a sturdy branch and jumped then hoisted herself up easily, perching on the branch like a bird of prey or a wildcat.

"Angell!" Lindsay looked at her friend with worry, but nodded when she motioned to 'sh'.

Angell inched along as quietly as possible on the surprisingly strong limb. A crack at the base made her hold her breath.

Another barrage of bullets came at them, though not a one hit, much to their relief and Long's chagrin.

"Man, you have horrible aim." Denver sneered, looking at Long who simply gave him a scowl and a rather obscene gesture. "Fine."

Angell saw her opportunity and took the plunge, running the rest of the branch's length and jumping unnaturally high with the tree's flexible help. She aimed her gun in midair and fired, three bullets in Long, three in Denver. She landed - ignoring the snaps in her knees and twinges in her muscles - and grabbed the semi-automatic right out of Long's clammy hands. She hit him in the face with the butt and whirled it around to crack the side of Denver's scull.

"Angell! You okay?!" Lindsay called.

"I'm fine, Linds." She called back, not tearing her gaze from the men shouting and bleeding on the ground. She put the strap over her head and let the weapon hang behind her lithe body, giving her a new air of ferocity. "What the hell do you guys think you're doing?!"

"What are we doing?! What about you?!!" Don hollered back.

"We were coming to help you boys because we were worried!" She bit back stubbornly.

"You're just putting yourselves in danger-"

"Why do you think we came?" Angell whispered with her arms around his neck. Lindsay did the same, hugging her Danny close to her. "We were afraid you boys weren't coming home, so we decided to try and come and get you."

"Where's Procter?"

_Procter laid on his back on Mac's office couch. He panted with worry, trying to convince himself that his family was alright. He was getting annoyed, though; they'd all left him, and now he was stuck in Mac's office with that weird nerd named Adam. _

"He's back home." Angell answered vaguely.

"Look, I am happy to see you, but you're putting your lives at risk." Don said to Angell firmly.

"Well, so are you!" She rebutted. "Where are Stell and Nami? And Mac?"

"They... " Flack and Danny directed their gazes up the cliff as Angell and Lindsay did the same. "They were taken up there to be killed by Anemone."

"Come on-"

"Wait, Angell!" Don snapped, grabbing her wrist.

"Danny! We can't just-"

"Whoa there, Cowgirl, just hold your horses." He sighed, holding her arm firmly but not tightly.

"Anemone would just kill us all. We'll go. You go to the villa."

"Shoot the goddamn gun already!" Nami ordered ferociously, her teeth meshing together so a growl came through.

"No don't!" Stella began but was cut off by Nami.

"Stella!" She bit harshly. "That's enough!"

"Nami-"

"Enough!"

_Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!_

Anemone crumbled to her knees and gripped her head, trying to stop the hurting, but it was in vain. She pointed the gun upward and shot six shots in any direction her limp hand seemed to want to them. Two hit the ceiling, one the wall behind Mac and Stella, two went through the piano, and one hit the chain that linked Nami's wrists. She leaned back and pulled, making the chain snap apart and the bullet continue up to the ceiling. She looked up at the girl with wide, fearful eyes which no longer held any malice whatsoever. If anything, they were empty.

Nami's eyes though, were a deep red, like freshly drawn blood. The gleam seen countless times before had returned, but something was different. It wasn't just a gleam that showed dangerous focus. This was a gleam that revealed bloodlust. A single needle of light that cut her iris showed the side of her she feared the most; the side that was a killer.

For years, since birth, the hybrid gene attached itself to living cells and took over, enhancing them. Now, they were multiplying too fast and soon it would kill her. Her body would deteriorate from the inside out as she lost her sanity.

"You did this to me. You sentenced me to death before I was even born." She spoke coldly, hitting Anemone's jaw full force. The woman's body was thrown back quite a distance, rolling twice before coming to a stop. Nami walked over and grabbed her coat collar. "Well?"

"W-what?"

"Don't give me that bull!" Nami hit her cheekbone, this time, breaking the skin. "It's all your fault I'm like this!"

"Please!" Anemone pleated in vain.

"You've killed so many people!"

One hit.

"Made so many people suffer!"

Another hit.

"You made me go through hell because you lost your parents!"

Another.

"I've lost so many!"

And another.

"How can you possibly justify what you've done?!" Nami glared at her with one eye hidden by her displaced bangs, and the other, still crystal clear and malevolent. "You're throwing away innocent people's lives for your own selfish reasons! You're toying with human life!"

Another, and another, and another.

"No-no-NO!!" Nami finally let go of Amaryllis and shook her head. She stumbled back and let her tears fall onto the cold floor. Her face remained stoic, though she could feel her mind shutting down and her body begin to burn all over.

Empty.

She felt empty.

Lifting her head slowly she saw the statue of the savior, standing tall despite how far everything else had fallen. How far everyone had fallen. The defined wooden features only served to scare Nami more than she already was. The image began to blur, so she shifted her gaze to...

Stella drew in a shaky breath, afraid to do anything else. She was too scared to blink. Her eyes, now a dull, lifeless green came to rest on the lonely figure of her daughter. She stood before the great statue carved in wood that looked down upon her. She seemed to be in a daze after... Stella was scared, yes, but more so for her daughter. She would love her daughter no matter what happened to her. Even if she killed... she'd love her. But why had she said... she didn't understand. Did Nami come to their family as their daughter already knowing she would die?

Now, her small body was standing so limply before the eyes of God, afraid and asking if she had really just done what she did. Her face was draining of color and her hands were trembling. She dared a gaze at her mother that was just as uneasy as the tears which slid down her face. She didn't cry though. Like so many times before, she couldn't even feel them.

"Oh, Nami."

Mac swallowed and tried to keep a calm head. He'd been through war and battles; he had seen people kill, and people who had been killed. This, though, was a shock. His hands shook as he watched Nami's mind stumble to realization of what she'd almost done. He'd never seen such an out-lash from his daughter particularly. Most bursts of rage, in his experience, like that usually ended in murder. Nami had stopped herself before that, but he also needed to understand why she'd said she was going to die? What did she mean? Was she... was she doomed to death from the very beginning? Had she come into their family knowing she'd die? That she could never be able to spend her life with them?

Had this little girl entered everyone's lives knowing she couldn't stay?

"No. No-I don't want to. I don't want to hurt anymore." She cried, sinking to her knees and wrapping her arms around herself. Her mind was reeling, spinning into a hellish nightmare that enveloped her consciousness. "No! I don't want to kill them! Please! Please-please don't make me!"

_Come on, Nami, shoot them_

"No! Stop it!"

_The kid isn't obeying-kill her_

"No! Please!"

_Just kill them_

"No!"

_The lab is cold. It's so cold, and I'm cold. _

_How old am I? What did they tell me? Um... five... I think._

_So what am I doing here? Right... they just brought me back to New York after the kid in Greece died. Am I going to die? Or... they're making the strong ones kill the weak ones. I see fewer and fewer every day. Are they going to kill me? Will I have to kill someone else? _

_I hope not._

"Stop it! Don't make me kill them!"

"Nami!"

Nami snapped her head up to see her... Stella and Mac. They had worried expressions - Stella especially - but also fear. Fear for her, or fear for their lives at her hands, she didn't know. The thought sickened her. Her hand, laying limply at her side, began to grasp for something.

_Click_

Nami looked down pathetically at the gun her finger had made contact with. The image in her mind's eye was blurry and wouldn't stay still, but she could feel her hands pick it up. They wrapped around it and positioned themselves to fire. Her hands, though shaking, could still aim. She lifted her numb arms slowly, and with difficulty, but pointed it with her eyes. The soft click-clacking of the gun didn't register in her ears at all.

She could hear voices.

Through the voices that had told her to commit murder as a child, she could hear singing. Two different voices, both gentle and loving, but different. One was warmer, and softer than the other, which was stronger but sweeter.

She could hear a piano. The sharp but sad notes that echoed in her mind, telling her what had happened. The deeper notes, more melancholy, but strong, served to remind her of what was happening now.

She could hear them so clearly, though they weren't actually being played. They were so clear, yet not there.

She was confused. She didn't know what to do. The voices. The voices telling her what to do. The voices singing.

The singing. She knew those voices.

Akane.

Her mother: Stella.

_Bang!!_


	27. Redemtion and Salvation

Redemption and Salvation

"Amaryllis, are you alright?" Talia asked gently. The older woman was huddled in the corner, hugging her knees with her head down. Her long honey-colored curls shielded her eyes like a veil. "Amaryllis?"

"Talia... I'm so sorry." She whispered weakly. She sniffed quietly and moved her head in her arms like a little girl. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Amaryllis, what did I tell you about blaming yourself?" Talia scowled. She didn't blame her at all for what had happened-not in the least. "None of this was your fault."

"They killed so many people." Amaryllis shuddered, her eyes wide and bloodshot. Tears slid from her eyes slowly, dripping off her long nose. Her mind went over things as fast as it could, though it was painfully slow in actuality.

The faces of the children as they were killed.

The screams she heard even in the day.

Her mother.

Her father.

Her sister.

Stella--to whom she bore striking resemblance.

Talia--the kind girl talking to her.

Selene--the woman who drove her father to insanity.

"Amaryllis!"

She snapped her head up and shook it slightly, trying to get at least some small pieces of her mind to fall into some kind of place. To no avail, though. "I-I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." Tali smiled weakly, her eyebrows tilted.

"What's gonna happen to them?" Amaryllis asked in a childish voice, unwrapping herself only to grab onto Talia's arm desperately.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know." Said Talia. She bent to kneel beside Amaryllis, who was beginning to break again.

"She-she's gonna kill them! My sister! She'll kill them all!" Amaryllis gasped, her hands trembling. "Stella, a-and her husband, a-a-and that-that little girl! She's going to kill another little girl!"

"Amaryllis, it's okay, calm down!"

"She's going to kill that little girl! Nami-she's going to... " She finally slowed down, her breathing and her words. "C-could _she_ kill h-her? C-c-could sh-she?"

"Who?"

"N-nami. C-could she kill her? Could she k-kill them?" She whispered, her voice, as well as the rest of her body, quaking.

"What?" Talia frowned deeply. Her brows creased to match and her mouth hung open slightly. "Amaryllis, Nami is a ten year old child."

"But she can!" Amaryllis burst, bringing Talia's face close to hers, a stray curl covering her right eye. "She can kill-she can _kill_!"

"She's a little girl-"

"Would you say she's capable of murder?" Amaryllis whispered.

Talia paused--much to her chagrin. Nami was a sweet, good-hearted girl. She wasn't a killer--not a murderer... of coarse... "No."

"She is. She is because my sister made her capable of murder."

"Amaryllis-"

"She could kill anyone and everyone she wanted to because we gave her that ability!" She continued. "But we also cursed her with it. As the gene begins to eat her naturally composed DNA it'll eat her alive, from the inside out. We killed her, so she'll kill us."

"She will not kill anyone because she's a good person!"

"If someone asked me if I believed a child were capable of murderer, I'd say no. If you asked me if she were capable of killing, I wouldn't know what to say... " Amaryllis dropped her head. "I wouldn't know."

"Listen to me! These children-"

"Are capable of murder-able to kill as they please!" She dropped her voice to whisper again, but this time it was harsh and raspy, forced and loud. "They're able to kill because we made them."

Talia held her breath and tried not to let the bile bubbling up to escape. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about children being able to take lives with their hands--their small, innocent hands. They were made to spread joy, and touch lives with love, not kill and draw blood.

Her sisters. They were like her children, and she couldn't handle this. They were all older than these children, and she couldn't even fathom any of them doing something so...

"We-"

"Edward and Anemone." Talia interrupted distantly.

"They-they made them kill each other."

_They made the older ones kill the younger ones. _

_To test their... skills. _

_When they tried to make Nami do it... she... wouldn't. Couldn't._

_She refused to take the other girl's life, so they threatened to... _

"They said they would kill her if she didn't." Talia finished grimly.

"That was just before she ran away." Amaryllis sighed.

"Amaryllis, you're torturing yourself with guilt that shouldn't even fall on you. None of this was your doing!" Talia said forcefully, almost shouting but finding herself unable to muster the vocal strength.

"I don't know what to do." Amaryllis sobbed, letting go of Talia's arm and fisting her own curls. "I don't know-I want to help but I don't know!"

"First thing's first; dry those tears." Talia said in a maternal voice, running her thumb over the other woman's reddened olive skin. She dabbed the corners of her eyes with a feather light touch, minding the dark eyelashes which curled to end by them. "Now, come on. We're going to get out of here."

"Where are we going to go?" Amaryllis asked helplessly.

"Does it matter?" Talia helped her up and steadied her before moving. "We need to get out of here. Try and find some help."

"Someone say help?"

Talia and Amaryllis turned to see two women standing there; one, a tall, svelte brunette with an automatic gun slung over shoulder and against her back, the other, a sandy blond with a more timid frame.

"You must be Talia Maridakis." Angell greeted with neither a sweet nor icy tone--Flack had told her about... Talia. She raised an eyebrow; dammit! She was pretty. "I'm Angell, Flack-"

"Flack's girlfriend!" Talia put in, pointing for a second but then remembering the manners her mother had drilled into her head. She smiled. "Jessica Angell, and you must be Lindsay Monroe... what are you doing here? Danny told me you were in Manhattan."

"We were, but we were worried about our friends, so we came here. Don and Danny said they were going to the church to help Stella, Mac and Nami." A still statuesque Angell said almost flatly.

"They-Anemone is probably waiting to kill them." Talia said worriedly, her heart beginning to thump loudly again.

"We have to-"

"You bitches aren't going anywhere."

The four heads of long hair whirled around at the sound of the deep, cold voice. The all tried not to stumble over their own feet as their brains could only start to process what/who they were seeing slowly.

"Denver." Talia spat once her mind had gotten over the initial fear and shock and grasped her inner anger. "And Long."

"You!" Long pointed at Angell with his skeletal finger, spattered with blood. She straightened slightly and moved her right hand to the gun on her back. "You... bitch! You took that goddamn gun right out of my goddamn hands!"

"Well, you clearly didn't need it." She grumbled.

"Well, you Yorkie skank, now I'm gonna take it back." He exclaimed, spit flying from his wide mouth, showing his less than white teeth as he cackled. "From your cold, dead, bony fingers."

"Try me." Angell brought the automatic around and clutched it tightly. She moved her hands precisely and without need to look at their motions. "Listen to me; I want you to go to the church."

"Angell, we are not leaving you to have a shoot out with these maniacs!" Lindsay hissed, though it was more of a spur of the moment kind of thing; she was very much unarmed.

"Lindsay, if you ever want to see Danny again you will get your ass to that church."

"Hey!" Denver interrupted loudly. "No one's going anywhere!"

"Right." Angell took one shot which went straight through his shoulder to graze Long's side. Her deep chocolate eyes remained fixated on them with hatred, like a bird of prey focused on its target.

"Gah!" Denver hit the ground and rolled onto his back, a pool of crimson spreading under him. "Dammit!"

"You're gonna pay for that!" Long roared, holding his side to dull the stinging.

"Run!"

Talia grabbed Amaryllis' hand and used the other to sweep Lindsay along, taking off down the corridor.

Jess used the length of the gun to hit Long in the ribs and took off after her friends, quickly falling into step with them. "Where are we going?!"

"The exit in the basement." Talia answered, breathless and dashing down the hallway with a silent Amaryllis in tow. She reached for the handle of the door and barely registered it slamming into the wall behind it. They flew through and down the next hallway. She hung a sharp right and saw the door to the basement; it looked different from the other cherry-wood doors with ornate designs and gold lines and handles. It was a thick door of steel, shamelessly displaying its dark importance. It swished open harshly as they started down the stairs. Eight heels hit the concrete stairs rapidly, making hollow clacks and sending tiny chips of rock and pebbles flying. "Our best bet is through the back."

"Whatever." Angell murmured behind them. Seeing Lindsay turn to her skeptically she just sneered and rolled her eyes. She followed them through the cold, metallic room, heels clacking on the tile floor, to yet another steel door. It swished open like the other had and led them to a dark room filled with a dim red light. It jumped over their faces and twirled and danced with the shadows which accompanied it.

"Angell and Lindsay, go on to Basil's, we're right behind you!"

"What?!!"

"What?" Talia stopped and looked at Angell confusedly.

"We are not running off while you two stay here with those psychos." Angell said adamantly, crossing her arms and pointing her toes outward stubbornly.

"Well, if anything, go with Flack and Danny to help Stella and her family." Talia replied, equally calm. There's an easy way to get up the cliff to Basil's. Go out that door and up the stairs. It'll take you right to the front of the church. Amaryllis and I are going down the other staircase."

"Fine." Angell huffed, reluctantly letting Lindsay take her hand.

"Alright, come on Angell." Lindsay gave Talia and Amaryllis a forlorn look and told her taller friend with her eyes that she knew they were right. "Thank you."

"Now go!"

They all burst through the last door and split up, Talia and Amaryllis side stepping down the narrow, wooden stair case, and Angell and Lindsay headed up the other way.

"Hang on, guys." Angell murmured under her breath as she and Lindsay charged up the steep steps two-at-a-time. Coming up to the flat, dust and pebble covered rock before the Church's stoop they saw Danny and Flack turning. Their heads, bobbing up and down in the sight of their friends, were a sight for sore eyes.

Flack ran at Angell, one arm around her shoulders and the other tangling itself in her chocolate locks, pulling her closer to him. "We were worried."

"Why do you think we came." She whispered back playfully.

"Montana." Danny buried his face in Lindsay's hair.

"Danny... I didn't know if I'd ever see you again." She sighed.

"You'll always see me, even if it's just in the New York Times in an article for the death of the best detective ever." He chuckled, though it neither held humor nor helped.

"I mean it Danny! I-I love you!"

"I love you too, Linds."

Talia and Amaryllis kept rushing down the steep wooden steps, trying desperately not to trip as they were headed downward and there was no rail between them, the rocks, or the harsh sea waiting to kill them below. The stairs, reasonably steep towards the top, became worse towards the bottom, and eventually they were just flying down stairs at a time and somehow managing to touch the actual steps. The bottom of the staircase was a wooden platform leading to a very small door/gate-ish thing, made of wood, though the landing didn't look too promising.

"Where are we going?" Amaryllis asked dazedly, coming out of her trance but not thinking about how they were running down a deathtrap of a staircase.

"I honestly don't know."

The two Greeks rammed into the door - high velocity, and everything - and literally broke it down. The thin wood splintered everywhere as the balls of women tumbled inside what seemed to be a small room. A small, dark room. Pitch black, actually.

"Hello?"

"Someone there?"

Talia held the groan she'd been planning down in her gut and listened attentively, ears perked like a small dog on a chicken farm.

"Anyone?"

"Daniella." Talia whispered to the darkness. As the light slowly seeped in four faces were illuminated; four girls, Greek, and of varying ages. "Amanda, Elena?"

"Talia?" The first girl to come forward cautiously was shorter than Talia, with obvious curves. Dark waves of chestnut brown were tucked behind her ears and curling up under them. Her eyes were the same rich chocolate, and her skin was a smooth olive tone.

"Amanda."

"Talia!" Two younger girls immediately run out from the darkness and hug her tightly.

One, with long wavy dark hair and almost black eyes, was holding tighter than the other. Twelve year old Daniella was the stereotypical Mediterranean girl in every physical sense and a little childish, even for a young girl.

The other, sixteen year old Elena, had long wavy hair, lighter olive skin and looked a great deal like Amanda. She raised her left hand to touch Talia's' cheek, making sure she was real.

"Oh God, I thought I'd never see you girls again." Talia cried, holding her sisters as close as physically possible--maybe even closer. Tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Tali." Daniella cried into her big sister's shoulder.

"God, sis, what the hell is happening? We were at St. Basil's since _she-_" Amanda pointed at Amaryllis harshly. "Called you!"

"Amanda, Amaryllis had nothing to do with this, I promise. She's the one who helped me through all of this." Talia said gently. "Don't blame her."

"Please? We have to get you all to safety." Amaryllis said just over a whisper.

"Come on, girls." Talia gathered her sisters and turned toward the small exit.

"Going somewhere?"

"Long." Taila glared. "How many times are you going to get up?"

"Until you can't."

"Talia!" Amaryllis grabbed Talia's waist and pulled her back in, making sure she and her sisters were behind her.

_Boom!_

A loud explosion came from behind Long and Denver, sending the whole lower staircase over the cliff-side along with an avalanche of yellow rock. The girls were still inside the small attachment, rolling around like rocks in a tumbler. The men were simply blown off the cliff to fall into the water below.

The mass of wood fell hard, breaking almost instantly on impact. The five bodies inside were quickly dunked into the water.

Talia was the first to snap into reality, her first thought being to save her sisters and friend.

The water was dark, salty, and stung her eyes. Murky green and blue waves drifted around her and weighed down her lithe body. A dark auburn curl that had straightened in the water floated in front of her. She almost opened her mouth but instead did the smart thing and swam toward the figure she saw floating lifelessly. It was Amaryllis, breath gone and sinking slowly. Grabbing her under the arms Talia struggled to get to the surface. Desperately hoping her lungs wouldn't burst in the mean time she counted on the fact that she was a strong swimmer. Seeing the dark sky and rain above, they emerged, droplets hitting their heads like small rocks.

"Amaryllis? Amaryllis! Wake up!" Talia shouted over the roar of the water and hissing of the rain. She could barely hear her own words.

"Talia!" It was Amanda who shouted, holding Daniella close, and Elena motioning to the blurry shoreline a short ways away.

"Come on, Amaryllis! Wake up! Ξυπνὰω!"

The water lapped at the sand, greedily swallowing the smaller stones. They dragged themselves up onto the rocky shore, laying on the smaller stones and avoiding the muddy puddles in the once hot sand.

"Amaryllis!"

Her eyes shot open as she coughed up a fountain of water. She sputtered and choked on the saltwater for only a minute before springing to all fours. "Oh my God, is everyone okay?"

"We're alright." Elena shook her head, though the rain and water were not so fast to leave her wavy - now straight - locks. She looked up at the sky as much as she could without squinting, the raindrops heavy against her soft skin. "It's like the sky is crying."

Everyone else looked up as well, not really knowing whether they were crying themselves or not. Daniella was; she hiccuped. "Yeah... "

Amaryllis clenched her jaw and got up quickly but steadily. Her heels clacked loudly against the stones as she rushed up the beach, over the stones, over the sand and up to the steps carved right into the rock.

"Amaryllis! Where are you going?!" Talia shouted worriedly.

Without looking back or trying to get others to hear her, she continued to scale the steps. "No more crying."

"Amaryllis!" Talia began to run after her but Amanda grabbed her arm. "Amanda! She-"

"Come on." Talia nodded solemnly and picked up Daniella, settling the exhausted, scared and crying girl on her back. Elena settled on trudging along beside Amanda, both of whom were leaning on each other heavily.

"Tali." Daniella whimpered.

"Sh, baby girl, we're gonna get you somewhere dry." Talia soothed her youngest sister who was practically her daughter.

"Talia!"

Flack, Angell, Lindsay and Danny were standing just outside St. Basil's with the wind and rain hitting them hard. Their figures were limp and beaten, and they looked a bit lost.

"Flack! Danny!" Talia smiled at them warmly, wanting to hug them, but in no position to do so. "Angell, Lindsay--I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Thanks." Angell nodded with a lopsided smile. "We're glad you're okay too." Lindsay supplied with a sweet smile while *accidentally* stepping on Angell's toe to hug them.

"These are my sisters--please, keep them here with you while Amaryllis and I go in."

"What-no! I don't want you to go in there!" Daniella protested.

"Sweetie, I have to."

"No! You don't have to! Let them do it!" She barked.

"Daniella, I have to save them. Your Aunt Stella is in there."

"We don't have an Aunt Stella."

"Well, you will now." Talia set Daniella down and hugged her sisters close. She kissed their cheeks and looked at them. "Bye."

"No! You shouldn't have to go!" Daniella continued to cry.

"Dani, come on, now, you have to be brave. For mom, and dad." Elene cried.

"I'm coming back, Daniella." Talia whispered.

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	28. The Fall of The Monarchy

The Fall of the Monarchy

Nami shuddered as her body vibrated from the shock of the gunshot. The waves shot through her and froze her from the inside out. Her arms let themselves fall slowly back to her sides, the metal barrel of the gun scraping the ground quietly. "I don't want to... " She whispered, bowing her head in defeat and shame. "I didn't want to... "

"I know." Stella snapped the chains off her wrists, letting them fall and snap apart where Nami had shot them so accurately they'd been shattered at the link. "I know, baby."

Nami breathed through her teeth, finally feeling the hot tears sting her bruised and tattered skin. She let the gun's barrel touch the floor and set it down gently. She didn't want to look up at her mother as she walked toward and kneeled before her, taking her into her arms.

"Oh, God." Stella whispered, fisting her daughter's thick black locks and bringing her closer to her as she buried her daughter's face in her shoulder. Her other arm wrapped around her small frame to hold her back with digging fingers. Her hand was cold, but her daughter was colder. "Sh... it's over."

The two were surprised but greatly comforted by the strong arms which enveloped them in turn. They let their breath out to mingle with the warmth coming off their protector.

_Click..._

_Clink..._

Nami slowly turned her head to see Anemone fumbling with the gun and pointing it at them. Her eyes widened just as slowly as Anemone tried to pull the trigger. She reacted.

"Nami?!" Stella had a small flashback to the first day - only a few weeks ago - that she'd met the girl who was now her daughter. She felt herself being pushed back into her husband by a small but steady hand.

"Get back!" She ordered as she jumped ahead and snatched the gun out of Anemone's hands, quickly taking out the magazine and throwing it away. She threw the gun to the ground with equal force and stepped on it, actually cracking the barrel enough to make it useless. Her face had contorted to anger again, but not the same - almost inhuman - rage as before. This was just anger. "You bitch. You tried to kill my mother and father. You tried to kill me... how do you live?"

"I don't." Anemone stood, her heels scuffing and scraping against the floor. She reached into her jacket and pulled out what looked like a remote. "The explosions we've rigged all along the coast were all for you. None of them have worked yet, though - even your father escaped - so I'll make sure this one does."

"Oh, you can't be serious." Nami growled with a flat look of irony.

"If I have to die like this I'm bringing you all with me-ah!"

Heads snapped to where Amaryllis and Talia stood. Talia had sent the shot right through Anemone's left arm, making her drop the remote, with Amaryllis by her side. They watched unfazed as Anemone clawed at her own flesh. More and more of her blood splattered onto the floor.

"What are you doing?!" She snarled.

"What I should have done a long time ago." Amaryllis took the gun from Talia's hands and fired another three shots with her face a solid stone mask. Her sister went reeling with pain as the bullets passed through her shoulder and leg like she was a ghost.

Anemone collapsed on the ground, into her own spilled blood, and screamed from the pain.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Talia held out her hand and gently guided Nami, Stella and Mac out to the door. She knew Danny, Flack, Lindsay and Angell were on the other side, and reached to open it.

"You're all coming with me." Anemone whispered, weakly moving her only usable arm to fish for the remote in the puddle of red.

Nami heard the faintest click and frowned.

A series of blasts sent everyone flying back.

Danny and Flack dove over Angell and Lindsay to protect them from the blast and debris. Amanda had Elena and Daniella hugged close to her, holding their heads down and squeezing her eyes shut, just like they had. The explosion closest to them, the one set up right around the front doors, hit the hardest. The heat from the flames reached even the small rock ledge under which they were hiding. Boards and chunks of stone came flying down and around them.

Inside, Talia and Amaryllis barely got their hands in front of their faces as the front doors were blown away from them and the fire shot up in the stone doorway. The were thrown onto their backs while they tried to cover their heads and faces. Amaryllis rolled on her side like a log, her legs bent slightly. Talia was sent back, her feet dragging only for a minute before they left the red carpet completely and she landed on her back. They didn't notice where the Taylors ended up--only that they weren't blown back like them, but rather crouched down.

Mac brought Stella and Nami down with him, covering their smaller frames as best as he could. Nami didn't squeeze her eyes shut but rather kept them wide. Stella held Nami's head close to her body, under her chin. Mac was blown away first, landing close to Talia. Stella and Nami were next, Stella landing by Amaryllis and Nami in the center of the triangle-ish formation, a small way away from Anemone.

The fire swallowed everything inside the chapel quickly and continued to eat through everything it could until the whole chapel was lined with flame. It ate away at the wooden ceiling supports and floorboards, making them creak and moan. One of the weaker support beams actually came crashing down, sparks and small flames jumping off and quickly searching for other sources of fuel to feed off of.

"Nami!"

"Mom?" Nami looked around but another beam of wood crumbled away from the fire, blocking her view of everyone but the dying Anemone. Two shadows emerged from the farthest wall of fire. "Dad!"

"Nami!" He ran at Nami and swept her small frame into his arms.

"Talia!" Nami looked up and extended her arm as best she could to invite the woman into the hug as well; an invitation gratefully accepted.

"Mac! Nami!"

"Stella! Mac tried desperately to find his wife through the flames but couldn't pinpoint her voice.

"Mac-!!"

"Stella?!" Mac looked around, trying to see, but the fire was spreading quickly, and the smoke was already starting to thicken. "We have to get you girls out of here."

"Talia! Go!" Nami ordered, pushing her older friend up.

"What?!"

"I promised your sisters I would get you back to them-"

"I promised them I would come back too! The villa was destroyed after I found them--they're outside with your friends from New York."

"Alright, then all the more reason to go!" Nami urged.

"Nami, you have to go too!" Mac went to take her arm.

"Dad, you have to get mom." She said seriously.

"Mac!" It was fainter that time.

Mac looked at his daughter's firm gaze - so much like her mother's - and agreed to go, earning an approving smirk. "Okay."

"Hold on, mom, your knight in shining armor's coming!" Nami shouted to the red as her father disappeared behind one of the many small infernos surrounding them. "Talia, the exit's that way. Get low."

Talia crouched down and held her hand over her nose and mouth. "I'm not leaving you here, honey."

"Neither of you are leaving."

They both turned and were disturbed by what they saw; Anemone, one arm completely useless and covered in blood, battered and beaten, and eyes bloodshot. Her body lay crumpled on the ground, though her face was as wicked looking as ever, giving her the image of a doll out of a horror movie, with only a head able to move. She also seemed to be unable to die, like said dolls in the horror films.

"You're not dead yet?" Talia cringed.

"She will be, come on!" Nami took Talia's hand and began to take her to the exit again. The two shielded their eyes as they jumped through the flames but found the floor missing on the other side. They fell through the colossal hole. Nami braced her legs for the impact. Taila landed on her left arm.

"Nami!" Stella was rightfully surprised to see her daughter drop in from the fiery sky.

"Mom! We need to get back to the main doors!" Her father took his place beside her mother, who had Amaryllis close in tow. Talia held her left arm carefully. "Come on!"

A blast from the side blew them all away again, just as they were about to head up the narrow stair way. Brick and stone was blown everywhere, hitting the decaying wood and bringing it down as well.

Nami and Talia were sent hurdling in the what-was-once a brick walled stair case as the walls and steps were completely blown away and buried in a pile of rubble that actually brought a good half of the upper chapel floor down with it.

Stella, Mac and Amaryllis were thrown to the other side, under a flaming beam that was creaking, ready to collapse any second.

"Stella!" Amaryllis backed into the older woman, forcing her into her husband's arms as the beam and pillar both came down, entirely aflame.

"Amaryllis-no!" Stella saw her body disappear under the burnt wood just before her husband covered her head and brought her smaller body under his. After feeling the sparks and stray flames subside they both looked up to see the poor young woman buried in rubble, same as Nami and Talia. Her right arm had been dislocated at the shoulder and crushed beyond recognition, pinning her under. Blood covered almost her entire right side and ran down her arm thickly. "Amaryllis!!"

"Stella." She was weak. She couldn't feel anything but the heat that was slowly beginning to eat away at her--she was still damp from the water and rain, though, so she had a little time. Tears flowed freely but she couldn't seem to remember why she was crying. She almost felt a little happy, because she didn't hurt. For the first time in years, she didn't hurt in any way--be it physically or emotionally. Somewhere, she heard a light piano playing something classical. It was a beautiful song played in middle C, and rhythmic like a heartbeat but also uneven, like some notes were afterthoughts of sadness. She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes, seeing red in the worst way. "I really am sorry."

"Amaryllis!" Stella wanted to do anything to help her but it was beyond too late as the fire was not only reflected in the pool of her blood but also beginning to burn her. The disgusting smell of ash and flesh didn't help Stella's angst for the girl.

"Your mother says she loves you." She smiled wryly before letting her eyes drift closed gently, with a hint of a smile.

"No, come on, Amaryllis. Come on, honey, don't do this. You-you finally made it. You got away from your father and sister, and you c-can start over now." Stella covered her mouth to prevent sobs, not able to watch her body be eaten by fire, blood dripping from her fingertips.

"Stella, let's go." Mac took her by the shoulders and led her through a clear path. "Nami! Talia!"

"Over here!" A small lump emerged from the pile of brick and mortar dust. Nami shook her head free of the larger chunks and dove back in for Talia, who she'd apparently protected from the rubble in some way or another. "Talia, wake up."

"Oh, dear God." She moaned, holding her left arm.

"Where's Amaryllis?"

"She's... " Stella wavered for a moment and bit her lip. "Gone."

"Oh, God."

"Oh, no, poor Amaryllis."

"Anemone." Nami bit venomously. She looked to the floor in the main chapel and the walls of the lower basement had all crumbled together into one giant heap of nothing. "You've come quite a way, haven't you?"

"I'm not dead yet." She choked, aiming the gun that God only knew how she got a hold of. Shooting all four of the remaining bullets two hit their target, the other two ending up cracking the smooth stone floor or bringing more support beams down.

Nami's eyes widened as two bullets went right through her; one going through her abdomen, grazing the top of her hipbone and nicking her appendix, the other going through her chest. It went in slightly upward, hitting some nerves in her shoulder before going through her back to end up in the far wall behind her. Blood gurgled in the back of her throat, though she never really got why blood came out one's mouth when one was dying. She just thought it was messy and unnecessary. Still, she felt the warmth dribble out of the corners of her mouth, disgustingly like saliva.

"Go to hell." Anemone dropped to the ground, the motion of her breathing quickly slowing until it was almost impossible to tell if she was dead or not. The only thing that seemed to still be alive was her good arm, which squirmed and clawed trying to reach something that wasn't there, thus just soaking her own fingers in her blood, some of it clotting already. It didn't find it, though, and relaxed, as did her face.

"You're already there." Nami dropped close to her, in her own blood. Their individual pools mixed slightly around the edges-Nami's lighter crimson blood and Anemone's darker maroon blood mixing in a sickly way. She could feel everything going dark. This was dying.

"Nami!"

"Stella!"

Stella and the half-conscious Talia were both quickly pulled up out of the pit of fire by strong arms. Stella fought at first, before realizing it was Flack pulling her up. Danny had the quickly fading Talia in his arms and Mac was able to come up on his own.

"Tali!" Amanda brought her older sister into her arms and slung her arm around hers and Elena's shoulders to keep her up on her feet.

"No! Nami's still down there!" Stella screamed in protest.

"I will go get her, Stell, you stay here." Mac said firmly.

"Mac, let me go!" Flack handed Stella off to her husband and jumped into the hole himself without a second thought. Before anyone could protest. This was his chance to make amends, if anything. He wouldn't let this little girl slip through his fingers again. He held a hand over his mouth and struggled to see through the smog. "Nami! Nami, can you hear me?!"

"Mm... " A quiet moan came from a bundle of a girl curled on the floor, surrounded by flames, in a pool of blood. She was still alive, but losing color by the second.

"Nami!" Flack took off his coat and bundled her up in it, holding her curled form close to him and making sure she got less smoke in her nose and mouth. "Hold on baby-girl, Uncle Don's gotcha."

"Mmmm... " Nami emitted another low moan, even if just to show him she was still with him.

"Hold on, sweetheart, just hold on." He scrambled back to the opening and took only a moment to cough from the smoke before looking back up--the sun had more or less come out, at least the rain had stopped. "Hey! Somebody take'er, she's bleedin' bad!"

"Oh my God, okay." Angell took the girl and held her in her arms. "Stella, listen, I need you to be strong here, honey. If you can call the local hospital, we don't have time to get there ourselves. We need an ambulance ASAP."

"O-okay." Stella realized she didn't have her iphone and reached in Talia's coat pocket for hers. She dialed 911 and asked in flawless Greek that they send an ambulance for her daughter right away. "Okay."

"Alright, they're on their way." Said Angell, rocking Nami in her arms. She felt a dampness against her shoulder and it dawned on her how much blood Nami had really lost. She was wrapped in Flack's jacket like a butterfly in a cocoon, but there was more than enough blood to soak the whole jacket thoroughly.

"Hold on, baby. Just hold on." Stella kissed her daughter's hair before Angell handed her to Mac who let almost invisible tears slip. "Hold on for me, and for your dad, and all your uncles and aunts here."

"Please, Nami. We can't lose you." Mac whispered into her hair.

"Don't let go. Don't give up. Promise us you won't give up."

Nami stirred and tried to open her mouth, but blood was still clotted there, making her tongue feel much too heavy and big.

"Nami?"

"Mm... promise."


	29. Starry, Starry Night

Starry, Starry Night

_Starry, Starry night_

_Paint your palette blue and grey_

_Look out on a summer's day_

_With eyes that know the darkness in my soul_

The hospital room was silent and dark as dusk settled upon Athens. The pale florescent lights on the low ceilings didn't help anyone, as they kept their heads so low they were about to fall off.

Stella and Mac were too worried to sleep, so they leaned on each other while holding their daughter's hand. It was cold and pale.

"_She's lost too much blood, we may not be able to save her." A doctor mumbled in Greek as she and a team of doctors rush to emergency. "What's her type?" _

"_Type AB, positive." _

"_Alright, we need a donor. It looks like she hasn't been affected by the blood loss like normal." The doctor left the gurney for a moment and looked back to where the people who brought the girl in stood. _

_A Greek woman, a Caucasian next to her, four other young Greek women and four other Caucasians. _

"_Excuse me, are you the family?" The Doctor asked. _

"_Yes, we all are." The older Greek woman replied quietly. _

"_Your daughter's blood type is AB and we need two donors with the same type to even have a hope of saving her." She said evenly. She wasn't Greek--actually she had an English accent. _

"_We're both AB, actually." The Caucasian man with short brown hair said suddenly. _

"_Alright, right this way. Getting this blood is the only chance your daughter has, Mister and Missus... " _

"_Taylor." _

"Hard to believe that was only four hours ago." Mac whispered, the hallow ticking of the clock filling his ears and mind.

"What if-"

"No, Stell, don't go there. There is no what if." He said firmly.

"I can't, Mac. I can't let all of my hopes ride on this. I-we need her to wake up and be okay, but if she can't do that... " Tears hadn't stopped flowing from Stella from the minute they stepped into the ambulance. Now she knew how Nami could cry without realizing it; she was too numb to feel anything. "God, I can't let go."

"You don't have to." Whispered Mac.

"Mr. And Mrs. Taylor? We need to run some tests, and I need you to step out of the room for about ten minutes." The same English doctor from before said gently, sympathetic for the adoptive parents.

"Yes, of coarse. Thank you." Stella nodded at the older woman.

"Let's go see Talia and her family." Mac suggested. Stepping out they saw Angell, Flack, Lindsay and Danny sitting outside, having not been allowed in the room just yet. "Come on, guys."

"Yeah." They nodded and went to the next room down. They were going to have Talia and Nami share a room, but Talia was not fatally injured in the least. Besides, with her three sisters, the small room was the perfect size. "Hey."

"Oh, hi." Elena looked up and whispered with a weak smile. There were bags under her eyes and her sisters were actually asleep themselves. "Talia's fine, just resting. Her shoulder will be in a sling for a little bit, but other than that, she'll be back to normal in no time."

"Oh, good, we're so glad." They filed in and tried to be as quiet as possible. Danny bumped into Daniella, asleep on Amanda's lap.

"Mm... " She frowned.

"Oh, geez, sorry kiddo. Um, go back to sleep." Danny cringed, really not wanted to be the one waking young girls from much-needed sleep.

"Relax, Danny." Lindsay smiled at him lovingly. "Go to sleep, sweetie."

"M'kay." Dani chirped softly.

"I can't believe it's finally over." Elena whispered, referring both to the latest turmoil, and her personal experience of the kidnaping. "The man, Denver? He took us in the middle of the night, almost a month ago, and brought us to the abandoned St. Basil's that's now destroyed."

"I'm sorry." Said Lindsay.

"We were actually treated pretty well, for being kidnaped. We were fed and able to bathe and stuff. The worst part was the scare at the beginning, and knowing how worried Tali would be." She shook her head.

"Well, it is all over now. I can't imagine the impact this has had on you girls." Stella said sympathetically, impulsively reaching a hand to smooth Elena's dark curls.

"Thank you. Something I have been wondering, though... "

"Apparently, my mother, Selene, stayed with your parents, Eleni and Lambros, while she was pregnant with me. After I was born, we stayed there for a while before we went to New York." Explained Stella.

"Oh, I see. So that's why mom and dad always said we had a cousin-or-sister-or something-Stella. You're the daughter of our "aunt" Selene." Elena said with comprehension in her voice. "Small world."

"Very." Stella nodded happily.

"Excuse me." The doctor, with the name tag reading Dr. Endy, stepped in. "You can go back and see Nami again."

"Thank you." Stella said deeply, again. She paused for a moment and looked to her friends. "Why don't you guys see her for a few minutes? We'll be right behind you."

"Sure." Flack nodded, guiding a solemn Angell out, followed by Danny and Lindsay.

"Thanks, guys." Stella waited until they closed the door to sit down. "I'm very sorry about this. All the trouble it's caused you and how much grief you've gone through."

Elena simply nodded, noticing Amanda and Daniella begin to wake up. "Morning."

"Hi." Amanda grumbled; not a morning person.

"Hello, sweetie." Stella greeted Daniella with a smile.

"Morning." She smiled back. She felt she knew Stella's face but hadn't the faintest as to why. Maybe from a picture or something.

"I'm glad you're awake." Said Stella.

"Hey, what about me?"

They looked to Talia with smiles. "Taila, we're so glad you're ok."

"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you." Talia said to Stella and Mac, her eyes droopy and face sleepy. "Tired, but otherwise, fine. How's Nami?"

"Th-they're not sure, but they don't think she has much o-of a-a chance." Stella managed to say without bursting into tears again.

A silence cut through the room and settled heavily in their minds.

"Hey, Nami." Flack spoke softly, as though his voice could break her fragile body. "Not out of the woods yet, huh?"

She didn't reply, though a beep on her heart monitor was heard.

"Right... I'm sorry. I let you get away from me that day, and because of me, you could be dying now." He shuddered, tears stinging his eyes, though he didn't let them fall. As he sat, arms on his knees, leaning forward, he could feel himself shaking. "I saved you just now, though, so I hope you can forgive your Uncle Don for screwin' up."

"Don." Angell put her hand on his shoulder for support. "Nami, honey, your Uncle Don is really sorry, and I know you're not mad at him. You could never be mad at him, could you?... no, I didn't think so."

"Hi, Nami." Said Danny from the other side of her bed. He leaned on the rail and looked at her pale face sadly. "It's your favorite Uncle Danny. How y'doin', Princess? Listen, now; you gotta wake up. For ya mom and dad, and all of us here. Me, your Aunt Lindsay and Aunt Jess, and especially your Uncle Don. We're all worried sick about'cha, so why don't you just open those big beautiful eyes o' yours and tell us you're okay? I know you can, girl, so please don't make us worry."

"Nami? Uncle Danny's right. We all want you to wake up. You've changed us so much, we can't imagine what would happen now if you were gone. We've always been a family, and maybe you've made us complete, now."

"Okay, Nami, Aunt Lindsay's bein' cheezy, so-"

"Let me finish!" She scolded, hitting him on the chest lightly. "As I was saying, before this goofball interrupted me... please wake up. You can't die. There are so many people here waiting to take you home."

"Sh... " Danny rubbed her shoulders as she started to cry.

"Look at her!" She hissed, holding out a hand. The girl's face was pale and lifeless, framed by long black hair which had clotted blood tangled in it. Her small body laying under the sheet made her look smaller, and even more delicate.

"I know, Linds." Whispered Danny.

"I wonder if she can really hear us... "

_Starry, starry night_

_Flaming flowers that brightly blaze_

"_What?" _

_Nami awoke in a field... or perhaps something more like a meadow. The grass under her blew in the warm breeze, gently tickling her skin. It felt strange though, like she was feeling it, but not actually feeling it. Like in a dream... was this a dream? _

_She sat up, seeing everything illuminated by a light so soft but bright it made it all look foggy. If all of this was a dream, she wasn't in a huge hurry to wake up. The grass was soft, the sun warm, and..._

_Where was everything else? _

_She could see she was on a hill, looking down on a field of yellow flowers, but nothing really beyond that. The horizon, hazy as it was, had nothing. The sky was still blue, but there was nothing around for miles; no mountains, no water, nothing! Just those flowers as far as she could see. _

_Looking behind her, down the other side of the hill, the same flowers stretched on in the other direction. She couldn't understand just what was going on or where she was, but she couldn't complain. _

_Oh, wait, she was supposed to have two gun shot wounds and be dying. _

_She preferred this._

_A field of flowers with a blue sky as apposed to dying in Greece?_

_Which would you prefer? _

_She paused for a thought; was she already dead? Was this paradise just where she had ended up? As morbid as the thought was, she couldn't help but think that maybe this was for the best. She was fine, and... what had happened? _

_What had happened to... she couldn't remember. She felt there were some people she wanted to remember, but she couldn't._

_Okay, now she wanted out!_

"_Hey! Anyone!" She shouted. No response. "Hey! Where am I?!"_

"_I'm not entirely sure myself, dear." _

_Nami turned to see a woman sitting on the grass next to her. She was a beautiful Greek woman with elegantly defined features not at all effected by any age. She looked to be in her thirties or so, and had the air of a mother. She looked awfully familiar, but Nami couldn't quite place it. "Do... do you know me?" _

"_I've been here long enough, sweetheart; I know who you are." The woman said sagely, looking back at the flower in her hands. She held it so gently it looked like it was suspended in the air between her cupped hands. _

"_Then... " Nami sat next to the woman cautiously, looking at her for permission, which she received. "Then maybe you could tell me... ?"_

"_You're Nami." The woman said kindly in a straight-to-the-point way. She turned and looked at the girl with a knowing smile. "Nami Taylor. You were adopted; your father is from Chicago, and... " _

_Nami simply waited, testing how her _name_ sounded in her head. _

"_Your mother is Greek." _

_Nami nodded. She was starting to think about it; the Grecian woman sitting before her and her supposedly Grecian mother, as well. She was starting to see how she recognized her, but still didn't get it. _

"_I can see the gears in your mind working. You're a smart girl." The lady reached one of her hands in her absolutely magisterial way to brush some hairs away from Nami's eyes. _

"_You know my mother." She stated impulsively, not thinking before speaking, for possibly the first time in her life... ? She waited, again feeling the woman's touch but not actually feeling it. _

"_Your mother's name is Stella. I knew her long ago." _

"_You're Selene." _

_Suddenly, Nami found herself standing in front of the woman, Selene, with a strong wind blowing against her cheek. It was very dramatic, as she found most things in her life were. She didn't remember standing up or moving in front of her, but she was there. _

_Selene was wearing a pale emerald dress that reached just above her ankles. She wore a beautiful peridot necklace and earrings, making her look rather queenly. On her feet were low white sandals with a bit of a heel, and Nami realized this woman looked way too young to be a grandmother. Then it also struck her that she hadn't aged in... decades._

"_I am. I'm Selene Bonasera; your mother is my daughter." _

_And just as suddenly she was sitting again, right in front of Selene, her eyes inquisitive as she felt her fingers on her forehead, between her eyes. "What, are you trying to force nirvana on me?" _

_Selene laughed lightly. "No, my dear, I just wanted to meet my granddaughter. You know, it's every parent's dream to see their child know the joy of having a child themself. I'm so lucky to have met you." _

"_I-I'm lucky to have met you." Nami managed to sputter. _

"_You can't stay here, though." _

"_Am I dead?" Nami asked flatly. _

"_No, dear." Selene smiled. "Thank goodness for that. My daughter has always dreamed of having a family, and now she does. I couldn't let anything tear my daughter's family apart now, could I?"_

"_I suppose not." Nami blinked. _

"_Now, you go on back to them, sweetie. I'll be here." Selene handed the flower to Nami, though as soon as she grasped it disappeared like dust in the wind. She looked back up. "Don't worry." _

"_I won't." Nami answered quietly, not knowing what she was/was not going to worry about. _

"_Goodbye, dear. Take care." Selene kissed Nami's hair and got up, walking down the other side of the hill. A large tree had appeared, under which she could see another woman, also Greek. Amaryllis? _

"_Goodbye." Nami watched as Selene simply waved without looking back and continued down the hill, to where Amaryllis waited._

_Swirling clouds of violet haze_

"_Σ'αγαπώ, γιαγιά." _

Beep! Beep! Beep...

God, that was annoying.

Nami took her time opening her eyes to the badly lit hospital room and painfully white ceiling. She could blind herself.

The chairs.

The curtains.

The windows behind the curtains overlooking the coast.

What the hell had just happened?

Was that what happened for her near-death-experience? She thought normal people saw their lives flash before their eyes, but she'd never been one of those "normal people". Nor did she want to recall her life, so yeah, she was good.

Her eyes drifted lazily over the room and everything within it. From the God-awful beep of the heart monitor to the fake-looking but real plant in the corner by the windowsill. On a tray to her left was a forgotten glass of water; half full. Optimism... she was running low on it.

Looking down at her own body, it wasn't crushed or mutilated, leading her to believe Selene was right, and that she wasn't dead.

Selene!

Stella!

Nami blinked, lifting one of her lead-heavy arms to her face. Her nose and mouth were covered by a clear plastic oxygen mask that held a grimy yellow tint. Her breath was heavy and labored, though steady, and her focus had returned.

"Welcome back."

Talia smiled at the young girl kindly. Her sling was nothing but a ripped piece of sheet tied around her neck in a strange kind of Amanda-bow her sister had done for her.

"Talia." Nami looked at her in wonder, barely noticing the fog appearing on the inside of the oxygen mask. She did really care, though, thus she ripped it off her face. She pulled it over her head, tussling her hair, and frowned. "You're alright. I'm so glad."

"We're all glad you're alright too." She said quietly. Turning, she nodded toward the New Yorkers behind her. They were all asleep in a variety of chairs, except for Danny, who'd ended up on the floor. Her eyes rested on Mac and Stella, who were sleeping uneasily with their heads leaned together, supporting each other. Their hands hadn't left each other's and their shoulders were pushed hard together as well. "We finally pried their hands off of your hand and I guess they're finally exhausted enough to sleep. Kind of."

"Should we wake them up?" Whispered Nami.

"I don't know. I'm sure they want to see you." Talia stood stiffly and went over to them. She nudged them, gently at first, then with a frown. They really were out cold. She quirked an eyebrow and poked Mac's hard cheek in distaste. Poking him harder, she got the normally feather-light sleeper to stir. When he stirred, Stella stirred. "Hey. Stella, Mac. Nami's awake."

"N-Nami?" Stella shot up out of the chair and went straight to her daughter's bedside to look into her pale red eyes. "Baby, are you okay?"

"Mom, I'm okay." Nami said comfortingly, though her raspy voice wasn't all that assuring even to herself. "See?" She took her mother's hand in hers and guided it up to touch her face. The raw and red skin was still tender but she didn't mind. "See?"

"Oh, Nami." Mac took his daughter's hand in his - it looked so tiny - and kissed it. "Baby girl."

"Hi, daddy." She smiled, feeling incredibly safe around him again.

"Nami!" Angell tried to get up, but she'd been sitting on Flack's lap, and his arms were still around her tightly. She got off the chair, bringing him forward with her.

"Oh!" Flack unwrapped his arms to keep his face from hitting the floor. Picking himself up quickly, he noticed Nami waving at him. "Nami!"

"Hi... Uncle... Flack... " She wheezed as he hugged the breath right out of her.

"Don! Stop it! She needs air!" Angell said worriedly.

"Hi, Aunt Jess." Nami waved awkwardly, only her right hand not crushed between her body and Flack's.

"Nami!" Lindsay rushed up and hip-bumped Flack aside so she could hug her, much to his annoyance and slight suprise. "Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"So am I." Nami said playfully, touching her aunt's sandy hair.

"Wha-?! No! No more cake!" Danny shouted from the floor.

"Danny! Danny, babe, wake up!" Lindsay urged.

"Gah!" He cracked his head off the floor and snapped awake.

"Danny, Nami's awake."

"Nami!" Danny jumped up and saw Nami nod her head at him. "Princess!"

"Uncle Danny!" Nami said in tone that meant she didn't want him to call her that, but she secretly liked it.

"Welcome back, Sweetie." He smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Thanks, everyone." Nami smiled, seeing that even Talia's sisters, who were just now slinking into the room nodded at her. "Hello."

"Nami, it's time to go home." Stella cried, holding the girl's head close to hers so their bruised temples were brushing lightly. "You're going home, baby. You're coming home with us."

"Dad, when can we leave?" Nami asked tiredly.

"As soon as you want, Nami. As soon as you want."

"I want to go home-"

"Mr. And Mrs. Taylor?"

"Dr. Endy." Stella stood, her first instinct to demand what was wrong and stand in front of her little girl. "Is there something wrong?"

"Please." Dr. Endy held out her hand and let Stella into the hallway.

"What is this about?"

"Nami lost almost a full 6 pints of blood but somehow managed to survive. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that shouldn't be possible, especially for someone her size and age. Also, when we did stop the bleeding we found strange trace in it we could only analyze as a synthetic compound that attached to her blood cells like a parasite."

"Yes, she-"

"What matters now, is that she's alive, Mrs. Taylor." Dr. Endy said softly, looking the woman straight in the eyes. "I'm not going to ask you what kind of miracle or monster is behind this, so you just celebrate for now. However... " The woman, Christine, dropped her eyes. She herself wanted children, but as an infertile doctor, she wasn't registered as able to adopt. So she waited and saved lives in the meantime. "As she is a bit of a mystery, we don't know what could be wrong in the long run."

"What what do you mean?"

"Well, when she came in, she'd lost an inexplicable amount of blood and had a few fractures. Now, five hours later, everything seems fine. We can't explain it, but I'm not going to make you stay here."

"What do you suggest?" Stella whispered.

"I'd like to come to New York with you, as Nami's... pediatrician." Christine air quoted with a knowing smile. "Just to make sure she's ok."

"Of coarse, thank you." Stella smiled and shook her hand.

"Now, let's get you good folks home."


	30. Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound

"Please return to your seats and buckle your seat belts, we will be landing at JFK airport in twenty minutes."

Nami looked up with her brows frowning at how annoying that voice was. Couldn't they just turn on the damn seatbelt sign? She sighed and looked back out the window.

Passing over thick cumulus clouds the plane soon came over the distant and tine mass that would soon look like New York State.

Looking over to her mother, who had refused to leave her side since she could get out of that damn hospital bed. Her mother's curls were limp like her, tickling her cheeks and neck and blowing ever so slightly in the light blow of the fans.

Closing her eyes for a few moments, Nami found herself back in the sunny field of yellow flowers where she'd met Selene. She opened them quickly and tried not to let it shake her.

Christine sat behind Nami, next to her father, Mac Taylor. Looking beside her, he was drifting in and out of an uneasy sleep, his arms crossed and his mouth set in a frown. She forced her eyes back to her book, trying to forbid her thoughts from his handsomeness. He was, there was no denying it, but happily... engaged. She shook her head at herself with a coy smile and went back to her place on the page, thinking to herself that it would happen someday, and hopefully with a man just as good looking as - but not - Mr. Taylor.

Movement in the window ahead of hers caught the doc's attention. Nami had started in her seat, slightly, just enough to make Christine look. Her eyes watched the girl's reflection adjust itself in the large seat and her face morph into something like unsettlement.

Nami was truly an anomaly to Christine, as a doctor and a person.

Not only was she a physical medical mystery, but something about her personality, her air, her mind; it was all very... unusual.

"Mom?"

Christine turned a deaf-ear, as she put it.

"Mom?" Nami tried again, trying to wake her mother but to no avail. "Mommy?"

"Mm... Nami?" Stella began to come to the surface of the woken world but couldn't quite make it.

"Mom, dad's looking at another woman-"

"Get away from him you-?!"

Nami looked at her with expectant eyes and eyebrows as high as their plane. Her hand was clapped over her mother's mouth, preventing her from finishing her loud and inappropriate sentence. "You good?"

Stella nodded. Her daughter's hand leaving her mouth she yawned. "Sorry, sweetie, did you want me?"

"Yes, mom." Nami nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about what's happened."

"Okay, honey." Stella said seriously, shifting in her seat, but then frowning.

"Actually, dad should be included, so can we wait?"

"Whatever you want, Nami." She smoothed her black hair and stroked her cheek lovingly. "We... we're just... "

"Mom." Nami wrapped her arms around her mother's willowy frame and remained silent as she cried into her hair. "I'm sorry."

"Don't you ever leave us again, young lady." Nami missed hearing that, especially from her mother. "Do you understand me? Never!"

"I know, mom. I won't." Nami assured her gently.

"Good, 'cause your father and I can't lose you again, missy." Stella laughed through another sob. Breathing in she could tell the hospital air was still heavy on her. "I can't wait to get home."

"I know, it feels like forever." Nami blinked. "What happened to Procter?"

"Oh my God, I completely forgot about him." Stella turned, looking for the hands in which they left the family dog.

Danny and Lindsay were asleep in front of them, soundly. Well, Lindsay was happily dreaming of Cowboy and Cake day at the lab while Danny was snoring almost louder than the plane engine and dreaming of Lindsay feeding him a bucket of chocolate covered beetles.

Flack had fallen asleep with a magazine under his chin and his tie flipped over his shoulder. Angell's head was bobbing up and down while one hand was in her water cup on her tray and the other was behind Flack's right ear, two fingers actually inside.

Stella quirked her eyebrows and tried not to guess how they'd gotten that way. She knew Christine and Mac were behind her, but Mac was asleep and only God knew how long that would last, especially once they got back to New York. Wait! Talia!

Talia was the only one awake besides Christine, reading a magazine in Spanish with little to no difficulty. Her biggest difficulty was turning the pages with one hand. Her shield and piece were lost in the villa's explosion, but she'd get a new one in New York.

She smiled; the Taylors were such wonderful people. They'd invited them to live in New York, knowing their difficult position. They'd even recovered the gold Anemone had taken from them with the help of a man named Adam, who Talia couldn't wait to meet. She and her sisters were already set up to get a nice big apartment right beside the Taylors with full government coverage for the first year. Their medical bills were payed on the same pre-paid bill and Talia was being given a job as Angell's new partner on homicide while Flack was being promoted to take over Gerrard's job as chief of police. Angell had gotten over her initial jealousy(?) and the two got a long quite well, even to the point of Angell helping tie her sun dress halter behind her neck while Amanda was rolling out of bed.

"No." Amanda grumbled in her sleep. She'd always been a sleep talker, and no one out of their band of merry survivors really wanted to be awake. "The green one. I don't care if it's the last one. It's pretty!"

Talia shook her head and smiled lopsidedly at her younger sister. She looked over the isle to see Elena asleep, and so still she looked like a statue, or wax figure. Daniella had long ago fallen asleep leaning over her tray with a gameboy in her hands. At least she'd turned it off, so the batteries wouldn't die so quickly.

"Hem... " Talia turned to see Stella sneaking up beside her and clearing her throat quietly. "Talia, can I ask you something?"

"Of coarse." She nodded.

"Well, you see, we have a dog back home who we left with Flack, and Angell and them, and, well, we don't know where he is now." Stella whispered in mind of the sleeping Amanda.

"Oh, I think someone told me, or someone was saying that... um, Procter?" Talia nodded after Stella nodded. "Was with... Adam?"

"Oh, okay, thank you. We just wanted to make sure." Stella said with a hand wave and began shuffling back to her seat, still crouched.

"You're welcome." Talia said to herself with a smile and reached into her carry on purse to pull out a bar of dark, bitter chocolate. "Mm."

"Okay, Nami, Procter's fine. He's with Uncle Adam." She smiled, rubbing her daughter's arms. "Everyone home is going to be so excited to see you! Hawkes, Adam, Sid-"

"I never met Sid."

"What?" Stella frowned. How could she have not met Sid? He was there the whole time and surely he'd heard of all that was going on... right?

"Yeah, he wasn't there that whole time I was because his daughter had pneumonia or something and dad had sent him home for a while." Nami said evenly, like it was expected.

"That's weird." Stella mumbled.

"What's weirder is that it wasn't pneumonia, but just a severe allergy to their new cat. Sid called dad to tell him that he'd never trust another doctor aside from himself and Uncle Sheldon again with his family." Nami smiled. "Dad said that as soon as I met him I'd lov'im."

"You will. He's kind of funky, and weird, and definitely goes to the beat of his own drum, but you would love him so much." She said proudly. "Come to think of it, while he's not really like a father to either your dad or I, he'd probably be like your grandpa."

"Really? I've never had a grandfather before. I'll see if he wants to be a grandpa or uncle." Nami said distantly, picking up the newspaper and going straight to the comics. A small laugh was heard from behind the large page. "Oh, Snoopy... your writing is terrible... but we love you anyway."

Stella smiled and settled back in her seat. Taking in a deep breath, she tried not to close her eyes without sleeping; every time she did she saw her daughter lying in that bed. Edward Beltaos laughing about killing her family. Anemone Beltaos screaming about killing Selene and dragging her own dying body into the fire to kill her daughter. Amaryllis Beltaos dying with that same sweet smile and telling her Selene loved her. Denver and Long dragging in Nami's body limp body, bruised and bleeding. Mac, climbing over that damn balcony and disappearing until she saw him being dragged over and chained to her.

Somehow, it was surprisingly easy to start moving forward, with the help of her husband and daughter.

She looked behind her to see Christine reading silently and at a freakish speed and Mac, beginning to wake. She smiled lovingly. She waved at Christine and motioned for her to poke him. Christine looked hesitant but complied and poked him in the arm. "Mac... ? Honey?"

Mac woke from his dreamless and fitful sleep to an ethereal voice calling to him. He knew that voice. "Stella?"

"Good morning, dear." She said jokingly.

"Do you see a tail on me?" He grumbled.

"Hey, that's my line." She said softly.

"Hey, I love you." He smirked, effectively shutting her up.

"Okay, you win. We'll be landing soon, so you have to wake up to drive us home." She pointed.

"Morning, dad!" Nami greeted brightly.

"Morning, princess." He smiled, blinking at her slowly.

"Good morning, Mr. Taylor." Christine joined in the fun.

"Good morning, Doctor... " Failing to recall her name he stopped.

"I'm gonna wake up 'The Messers'." Stella air quoted and turned in her seat again to face the front. She reached her hand forward and tapped Lindsay gently first. "Lindsay. Wake up, Aunt Lindsay."

"Mm, want s'more cake, Cowboy?"

Stella bit her tongue to keep from giggling and tried again. "Linds! We're almost back home."

Lindsay yawned loudly and cracked her neck. "Stella?"

"Hi, Aunt Lindsay." Chirped Nami.

"Morning. I guess we'll be home soon, huh?" She looked past Danny's head out the window to see New York fast approaching. "Excited, Nami?"

"Yeah, first thing I'm gonna do is take a nap on dad's office couch, I think." Nami smirked.

"Oooooooh-no. I am not letting your father anywhere near the lab; we are going STRAIGHT home and your are going STRAIGHT to your bed with your dog." Stella said with her mothering tone returning.

"Yes, mom." Nami nodded with a smile.

"Yes, mommy." Lindsay mimicked it with a pouting lip.

"Hey, you are still younger than me." Stella pointed at Lindsay.

"So many bunnies." Danny slurred, a bit of drool moistening his lower lip when he snorted, earning a strange look from the girls.

"Danny, wake up!" Lindsay said irately, flicking his ear.

"I'm up-I'M UP!" He declared loud enough for the whole plane to hear. He blinked rapidly for a moment before yawning. "Hey, Linds."

"Danny, you wet yourself."

"What?!" He quickly looked down at his pants to discover the lie. Finding no wet mark he looked up at the "innocent" country girl and frowned. "Very funny, _Aunt_ Lindsay."

"Oh, anything for you, _Uncle_ Danny." She cooed, pinching his cheek.

"Hey, someone wake up Sir Snores-A-Lot." Danny nodded to Don.

"Like you should talk." Stella chided him with a smile before twisting to look across the isle at the snoring detective. He actually had drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth, though. "Ew, Don? Flack? Uncle Don. Donald Flack-wake up!"

"Hm?" He opened one eye lazily. "Hi Stell."

"Flack, we're landing soon." She said plainly. "And you got a little... right there... "

"Oh!" Flack wiped his chin with embarrassment and fixed his tie. "Thanks." He frowned and knitted his brows together, realizing Angell's fingers were inside his right ear. He turned, though they didn't come out, and faced her. "Angell? Sweet'art? You're giving me a dry-willie."

"Say again?" She groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Cripes, we're all exhausted." Nami noted.

"We landing?" Jess asked sleepily. Seeing her friends nod she shook her head and brought her hand out of her empty water cup, wiping it on her jeans. She took it off and clipped her table back up.

"We'll be back in New York, soon." Nami said quietly.

"Yeah... " They all agreed solemnly. "Hard to believe it was only a few days ago everything... happened."

"And only a few weeks ago, this li'l cutie came into our lives." Don said a lightly, changing the mood and pointing to Nami with a smile and a wink. "You've really changed, Nami."

"I know." She smiled with a slight nod. Surrounded by friends and family; that was a hell of a change from being a New York orphan.

Only a few weeks ago had she met her parents, and uncles and aunts. Only a few weeks ago had she become Nami Stellar Bonasera. Shortly after that, Nami Stella Taylor.

"Feels good."

Stella had stuck to her word and not let Mac or Nami anywhere near the lab, and simply said as her iron-word that Adam would just have to drop off Procter after his shift was done. Driving them home while they were asleep gave her some time to think about how life was going to unfold for them now. It would never be the same, that was for sure, but maybe that was a good thing.

Talia was following her in the same model Avalanche, even though she only had one hand to operate with. Amanda didn't want to drive, Elena wasn't experienced enough to handle New York and, well, Daniella wasn't even a part of that question.

When they arrived at the apartment building it all went quickly and silently. They brought in what they had, if anything, and just went straight to their separate apartments.

Talia unlocked it and found the place strange, but homey. She was already growing to love it as her home with her sisters, and immediately found her room. She found the small bed already inside and dropped off on it.

Amanda flopped down on the couch and went to sleep again while Elena and Daniella found another room with two beds.

Next door, Stella went into her home first, Mac carrying Nami behind her. It looked the same to her, just a little... lonely. Like it had missed them. She had missed it.

They placed Nami on her bed and let her sleep, each kissing her cheek and wishing her sweet dreams, then went to their own room. Not bothering to close the door they just flopped on top of the covers and drifted off in each other's arms after mumbling "I love you" quietly.

Angell and Flack went to his apartment and went to sleep on his couch, cuddled in each other's arms and happily forgetting all around them.

Danny and Lindsay went to his place and went straight to his bed. He was the first to fall asleep, followed by her with a smile.

Nobody unpacked, or checked messages, or called work. They all just slept, and slept, and slept, because it was their way to forget all that had happened. Their way to make the pain and fear stop, at least for a little while. And quickly, they wouldn't have to sleep, because things would get better. They wouldn't have nightmares about Greece, or burning churches, or abandoned buildings. It would get easier, but for now, they slept.

The sun set went down and surrendered the sky to the stars, which were washed out by the city lights as usual, but extra bright that night. They twinkled a little more, shone a little brighter. The constellations were a little easier to see, that night. The Greek legends in the starry night, permanently seen in the heavens to give people hope.

Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey.

Look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul.


	31. Epilogue: The Road Ahead

The Road Ahead

"Detective Nami Taylor. CSI Nami Taylor. I like it!" Nami smiles.

"Nami, I do not want you being a police officer. It's a dangerous job and-"

"Dad, you're the never-sleeping-detective! You can't tell me that you don't love your job." Nami shoots back at her father.

"Nami, I don't want you putting yourself in danger like that. I barely let your mother do it." He mutters.

"Hey! Do you want to sleep on the couch?" Stella threatens from beside him with a raised eyebrow. The hint of a smile tugging at her rosy lips gives her away, though.

"No, dear."

"Come on, dad, at least let me try! I want to protect the city like you and mom do!" Nami repeats louder this time, and more forceful. She puts her palms on the counter and looks her father in the eyes. "Protecting people is what I was meant to do."

Mac simply looks at his daughter's large red eyes and is mesmerized by how much the fire in them is identical to her mother's. He sighs and uncrosses his arms. "We'll see. You're only ten, Nami, you have plenty of time."

"Thank you, daddy." She hugs him tightly, knowing it melts his heart to hear that. "You'll see, I'll be a famous detective, just like you guys"

"Whatever you want to do you'll be incredible at." Stella smiles, taking her daughter's hands in her own.

"I wonder if your biological child will too."

Mac and Stella both choke on their mouthfuls of spaghetti, coughing and hacking. Mac takes a gulp of water and clears his throat several times to clear it while patting Stella on the back. The patting helps, but she continues to cough until one cough is cut off and she clears her throat as well. They both look at Nami. "What?"

"Well, you are going to... right?" She asks.

"Nami, w-we haven't talked about having any more kids. We haven't even set a wedding date yet." Stella murmurs, though seems slightly giddy at the thought.

"Your mother's right, Nami, we need to, uh, talk about this." Mac also says under his breath, trying not to redden or think too much about how the alleged baby would have to be... conceived.

"Guys, I know how babies are made." Nami smirks as they both turn red with embarrassment. "I was awake that night with the fake social workers."

"Nami... " Stella begins to say but really doesn't want to talk to her daughter about _that_ while sitting beside her husband-and she's sure he wants to have that discussion no more than she does. She tries to keep her eyes from wandering to him but as soon as they do she has to swallow a... she isn't sure what sound would come out, but it would've been very unwelcome at the moment.

"Sorry. I'm just saying, you are going to have a birth child, aren't you?" She asks expectantly. "Please, tell me you are."

"Well, we just need to think about it." Stella says quietly.

"Okay-may I be excused?" Nami asks quickly, eager to get them talking about it.

"Alright." Stella barely finishes by the time Nami's already walking briskly towards the couch with Procter tucked under her arm like a log.

"C'mon, boy, mom and dad need to have The Talk."

"Well, what do you think?" Stella turns to her husband with eager eyes. They really are peridots in the right light.

"It's up to you Stell, I wouldn't mind having a another child. Nami seems to be all for a baby." He smiles at her with the same love from before all of this happened. "Do you want to try?"

"I... " She looks at their laced fingers then to him. "I really do."

"Okay, so we're going to try and have a baby?" Mac blinks, not fully consuming the statement quite yet.

"Yeah." Stella blinks as well, and pauses for the same reason. "It... it feels kind of weird, to say it like that."

"I know." He nods. They both turn back to their plates and can't seem to find words. Their eyes skim over the pasta and red sauce. The forks, knives and spoons set out for them, and the glasses of water they have beside the bowls. They both look up and instantly know their feelings are shared as they look briefly to where their adoptive daughter lay on the couch with her dog, watching something she probably isn't even aware of, from the way her eyes are drooping. "We're lucky."

"We already have a daughter. Let's try for another." Stella smiles.

"How do you know it wouldn't be a son?" Mac smirks at her.

"Woman's intuition."

Nami blinks as the moon looks sad that night. The small clouds floating around it make the thing look bigger, and the blue glow brighter. The glow comes through her window and has slowly come to hit the side of her face.

Rolling her head to look in her mirror, she sees scars and bruises still not quite healed from the latest ordeal. The star shaped marks on her temple from being pistol whipped are unwanted reminders, but those will go away in time. The scars from the bullets will not.

One on her shoulder, reminding her far too much of someone who was lost in that same ordeal, and another extending at an angle up her back. The entry wound, a half moon with a line through it is almost like a decoration scar. Weird.

Procter sleeps soundly beside her on the bed, curled in a ball, his tail covering his already cold nose. It seems that while he's still probably less than a year old and has been with them less than a month, he's gotten over his night-trips.

She gets up and walks over to the small bureau which was recently added to her room, as a lot of things were.

The room's now a pale turquoise color, not too dark or bright, but mellow to look at. The bureau, along with a bookshelf, a side-table, a side-table lamp and the mirror are recently added home touches.

She looks over the top in the dark, seeing shadowy coins and other odds and ends she simply throws down at the end of the day. The emerald bracelet she'd had on through the whole thing now sits on the bureau, right in the center, so she can always look at it. She only takes it off to sleep, and even then she makes sure it's safe. Continuing to search she realizes she needs to clean the damn thing, but that's beside the point for now.

There it is; this was what Anemone had been searching for in her last minutes of life. The thought is bleak and not preferable, but she finds solace in the fact that it's a tiny piece of Amaryllis Beltaos still in the world of the living. A ring.

It's a plain silver band with three layers and emerald green in the middle band, glittery and mesmerizing to the naked eye.

When they'd been asked to identify the bodies of those around the villa and church it was gruesome.

Denver and Long had sunk to the bottom of the cliff and were probably lying as half-skeletons right now. They weren't needed, so were just left.

Edward had gone over the cliff when the villa exploded and ended up falling onto a pointed rock near the shore. It had gone right through him, leaving a massive hole. The recovery team had managed to pull him off, but it wasn't a pretty sight to see his lifeless eyes so wide.

Anemone and Amaryllis were almost unrecognizable.

Anemone's body was completely demolished by the wreck and crushed under all the rubble. The arm she'd lost the ability to use had been torn off by something or another, and was never found - if it ever was, it surely didn't look like an arm anymore. Her face, although damaged and cut badly, was still placeable, and even at peace. Her expression, the most serene it had ever been in her life.

Amaryllis looked the most peaceful, and that's what made it so hard. Her face was more or less fine, aside from a few burns around her right eye. She was even smiling a little. The same sweet smile she'd given them while she was dying. Her shoulder was turned to dust under the impact and basically nonexistent. The arm it once held up was limp, even for a dead body's. Light burns on her right hand's fourth finger showed where the ring had once rested, but heated up and burned her.

Nami shakes her head to rid herself of the haunting thoughts. She puts the ring on her right hand's fourth finger and decides that it's time to start moving forward. The first step, for her, will be to say goodbye.

Stella lay awake beside her husband-or husband to be, rather-and breathes easy. Her mind has been in pieces since the scare of losing her daughter, and it hasn't put itself back together completely yet.

Turning over to him she sees his peaceful face sleeping and her frown instantly softens and melts into a smile. Her head is on his chest, her hand fingering his shrapnel scar.

She considers how lucky she is to still have the life she does. The man she loves is sleeping safely and soundly beside her, an arm around her waist, protective as always. Her daughter is in another room in the apartment, less than fifteen steps away, and being protected by the small but feisty pup.

Her mind goes to how their lives have changed.

Talia and the other Maridakis sisters are sleeping next door, Amanda probably snoring lightly. Daniella is a sound sleeper and probably sleeping sprawled out on a bed parallel to Elena's.

Christine is actually taking up Sid's position at the coroner's office in the lab. While he's taking care of his daughter, she's helping Hawkes with the overflow of bodies, since NY's best detectives were in Greece. Hawkes is even letting her sleep on her own cot in the lab until she finds a place to stay.

Stella smiles; she thinks the doc may have a soft spot for the pretty Englishwoman. The last time they had an English female doctor it was...

Peyton Driscoll.

Nice woman, sure, but not only had she broken Mac's heart, but she'd stolen it first. Stella liked her, sure, until she turned completely on her, and for seemingly no reason. They both made sure to walk cautiously around each other; Stella as Mac's best friend and still better half, and Peyton as his girlfriend.

Stella was a little jealous, sure, but she was anything but rude to her. Then Peyton went and abandoned Mac, and Stell had nothing but the utmost desire to go to Britain and beat her with a Christmas log! She didn't though.

Mac shifts and pulls her closer, breaking her of her insecure thoughts and making her smile. She inhales his scent and kisses his smooth skin.

His eyes crack open, feeling the body beside him shift. He looks down at the ball of curls laying on his chest and smiles down at it, smelling its freshly shampooed fruitiness. It's snoring lightly, but he finds it painfully cute, rather than annoying.

He frowns as someone new enters his mind.

Akane. Nami's birth mother.

He'd risked his life to read all of the information on her, and found that she was deceased long ago. There was no record of a marriage and Nami's father was officially off the grid. Just like Stella's.

Mac shifted and put his hand on Stella's shoulder.

He was determined to be there for his daughter.


	32. Epilogue: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Stella sits on her bed nervously going through things in her mind. She's not even entirely sure if she's looking at the situation as a whole, yet. If she really thinks about it, she's being a little silly, and probably has nothing to worry about, but that doesn't help her as much as she had hoped it would.

"Mom?" Nami asks, poking her head in the door. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, Nami, come in." Stella nods.

Nami does so and closes the door behind her gingerly. Coming over to her mother she sits down beside her and looks at her with worry. Her dark eyebrows are tilted and her rouge eyes filled with concern. It's really not like her mother to look so worrisome. "Mom?"

"Nami, I... " Stella trails off, finding it difficult to force the words off her tongue and from her lips. Unable to say her confession aloud, she looks at the girl meaningfully and reaches out a hand. "Here."

Nami reaches out a hand, but yelps and jumps back, letting the object in passing fall to the floor. "Cripes, mom, give me your peed on pregnancy test-pr-pre-pregnancy-PREGNANCY TEST!"

Stella gulps at her daughter's huge eyes directed at the pregnancy test in question. "It must have happened around the time we were in Greece."

"I suppose it's just good you didn't lose the baby through everything." Nami says quietly, sounding like her parents when they're examining tragic evidence or case files. She frowns and looks at the lines; they mean positivity, in this case, it would seem. Torn between frowning and smiling, she looks at her mother. "This is good, ne?"

"It is." Stella smiles. "I just don't know because your father and I, well... " She pauses. "We talked about it happening, just not this soon! We were going to try, not say we want another daughter then BOOM-I get pregnant."

"You've been working with Uncle Danny for too long, but this is so great!" Nami hugs her mother tightly around the neck and beams at her happily, like a young child. "I can't believe this; I'm gonna be a big sister!"

"Slow down there, honey, I have to tell your father first." Stella drops her head and runs a hand through her morning-soft curls.

"I'm sure he'll be just as happy as we are." Nami says reassuringly. "You're having a baby!"

"I already have a baby, baby." Stella laughs and kisses her cheek, smoothing her hair lovingly.

"I mean a biological child, mom." Nami keeps her smile for a moment but then takes on a serious expression. "We were talking about it the other night–you know I want you and dad to have a child."

"Are you sure?"

"Mom, you and dad adopted me as your daughter, and I love you both more than anything. You're my mother and father now, and I would have nothing but feelings of love for this baby. It's a scientific fact of biology connecting a parent with their child, and I would think nothing at all of you and dad loving this baby more... than anything."

"Now hold on one minute, young lady, are you-"

"Mom, I'm not saying you would love the baby more than me. I'm saying that if you did I wouldn't mind. I'd probably join in." Nami smiles.

"Alright, let's on thinking of how I'm going to tell your father."

"How about; Hi honey, dinner's on the table and the bun is in the oven?" Nami smirks in a way that reminds her mother of Charlie Brown.

"Nami!" She gasps. Horrified with her daughter's language she waves her finger frivolously and takes on a scolding look. "You watch it, missy!"

"Sorry." Nami shrugs and smiles sheepishly, just as she had done before taking on her mother's last name, let alone her father's.

"You're helping us make baklava for the wedding, right?"

"Lena!" Amanda exclaims in a whiney tone. "If you show me what to do I can do it!"

"I know, but I don't want you watching the timer for the pastry because you'll get distracted and then it will burn." Elena responds in a comically mothering tone, along with a finger wag. "All I ask is you mix the ingredients when I hand you the bowls."

"Fine." Amanda huffs, plunking herself down at the small kitchen table they had set up against a tiny wall with a single window.

"Talia, you have the oven set, right?" Asks Elena.

"Yeah, kind of." Talia mutters while looking at the hunk-of-junk that was called an oven by the superintendent. "This thing is a real piece of work, y'know. I can't even promise it'll work right. I swear a bat flew out of here the first time I opened up the damn thing."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, and if not, we can always start again in Stella's kitchen." Elena looks to Stella, silently wanting reassurance that it's alright to oblige her. Stella nods, along with Nami, who says with her eyes that she doubted the oven would ever even work in the first place.

"I'm afraid something will explode if I use the stove burners." Talia sighs, sitting down and being mindful of her left arm.

"Honestly. I guess it's okay that you girls are covered for the time being, but they could have set you up with something a little nicer." Stella says in her mother-tone as well, while mixing something of unknown composition - unknown completely - furiously.

"Mom, is that supposed to be beaten?" Nami asks with a lopsided smile.

"Actually, I'm not sure what exactly was in here when I picked it up." She says while looking at the goop on the wooden mixing spoon. She and Elena were the main cooks while the others just helped with the smaller things, but somewhere along the way their separate batches must have gotten mixed up. "Elena, I think this is your Step three mix over here. Is that my Step two you have over there?"

"You know, it might be." Elena quirks an eyebrow. As a girl wanting to someday become a professional chef part of her is screaming for some kind of order in her sanctuary of a kitchen. This baking session is for fun, though, and she really is having fun. It's just a little painful to see her comfort-zone so... not-comforting. It didn't help, either, that Daniella had only succeeded in trying to pick up a massive bag of flower upside-down and covering the whole place in a blanket of white.

"It's a good thing we're covered for water too; Dani's been in the shower forever." Amanda comments absently from where she's reading her fashion magazine. "Oh, now that's interesting."

"Amanda." Talia frowns at her. "Maybe you could help."

"Lena told me not to!" She bursts in her own defense.

Talia simply smiles at her sisters and sighs. As loving and selfless as Amanda really is, she's also still a teenage girl - at the very least in her mind - and college student, taking classes over the internet and shopping away every paycheck as soon as it lands in her hands. She's very sweet, very kind, and very shopaholic. "Right, sorry. Could you get me some juice, then?"

"Sure." Amanda smiles at her sisters as well. She really does love them, and while she not be the most emotionally sentimental person all the time, she knows she should be - and is - glad she even still has her sisters. She opens the small fridge and gets the orange juice out.

Nami smiles at how well the sisters get along, despite their scuffles. Actually, in light of them. They really are a great family, and she can only imagine how great it must be to have sisters like them–constant support and love throughout life. She blinks and looks over to her mother, asking her silently if sharing is in order or not. It is. Seeing her mother look hesitant for a moment but then nod and smile she does the same.

"Girls, how did your mother name you?" Stella asks sweetly, resting her chin on her laced fingers and smiling a small, gentle smile.

"Our mother?" Talia blinks, surprised. "Well, I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure, except that Elena is named after our mother, Eleni. Why?"

"I'm trying to think of names for my baby." She smiles meaningfully.

"I thought Nami was her name." Amanda said with a frown, not quite grasping Stella's roundabout way of delivering news. "Nami is her name... right?"

"I'm not talking about that baby." She says deliberately again, her smile changing to be more encouraging and maybe a little sneaky.

Talia seems to be the first to make her realization visible. "Stella, are you...?"

"I'm pregnant."

Silence.

"Oh. My. God." Elena breathes, the mixing bowl slipping right out of her grasp but not drawing her attention in the least. "Oh my god!"

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Talia gets up in a flash and hugs her older friend tightly. "This is so great!"

"Thanks." Stella manages to wheeze out while still in Talia's tight grip. The girl has an amazingly strong hug for being temporarily one-armed.

Amanda and Elena join in the hug, latching onto the outside so that the whole thing just looks like a mass of random bodies. Nami looks and smiles humorously at them until Amanda's hand shoots out from the blob and drags her in as well.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Daniella asks, coming out of her shower to see everyone in the apartment taking part in one big hug. She continues to rub her towel against her thick dark locks until Nami's head pops out from a gap that has mysteriously formed out of nowhere.

"Mom's pregnant. Join in!"

"That's so cool!" Daniella drops her towel on the living room floor and runs at them to join in the big hug.

"What's going on?"

"Mom's p-nah!" Nami swallows her tongue, poking her head out of the group to see her father standing in the doorway.

"Mom's what?" Mac frowns at his daughter worriedly.

"Mom's p... pl... planning to have loukoumathes at the wedding! I love honey-puffs! They're my favorite! So sweet and good!" Nami rambles, laughing nervously and smiling with a bit of a twitch. "Right mom?"

"Th-that's right." Stella pipes in the same delirious tone.

"Okay, that's great, Stell." Mac says slowly, not wanting to ask why they're all in a group hug. "Supper's ready at our place, so... whenever you girls are ready, you're all welcome to come over."

"Ohthatissonicethankyousomuchbeoverrightaway!" Talia blabs.

"Okay, thanks honey, be right over." Stella squirms her way out and pecks him on the lips chastely before ushering him out the door. "You just make sure we have enough seats for everyone."

After the door closes and they hear the softer sound of the Taylor's door closing as well they all breathe sighs of relief, Stella actually sliding down the door.

"That. Was. Close." Nami groans, holding her head.

"Too close."

"WEDDING DAY!!"

"Your daughter is awake." Mac murmurs into his wife's hair.

"Before sunrise she's your daughter." Stella smiles.

"Come on!" Nami runs in and jumps onto their bed, minding where their feet are and inviting Procter to clamber his way up as well. "Get up! Get-up-get-up-get-up-get-up-get-up-get-up-get-up! It was weird enough to that anally-pious-priest that you were sleeping at home the night before the wedding, he'll be even more grumpy if you're not early!"

"Nami, early doesn't mean... " Stella looks over at her clock. "Six thirty! We overslept!"

"See?! Now come on! Mom, you get in the shower first while dad and I make breakfast!" Nami pushes her parents out the door and then in their separate directions; her mother towards the bathroom and her father to the kitchen.

"Relax, Nami, we'll be there." Mac laughs, though as soon as the word _wedding_ left her mouth he became nervous.

"Can't! Be! Late!" She blurts with the same comically large mouth as before. Rightfully excited about her parents' wedding day she just can't contain herself. She doesn't really want to, either. "Gottahurrygottahurry-gotta eat first, though." She pauses for a breath. "I'm hungry... but after that we gottahurry!"

Procter yips along happily with her, extra loud on her hungry note.

"Okay, but it has to be fast, and there will be food at the wedding, so how about just some toast this morning?" Mac smiles, feeling unbelievably accomplished by simply getting breakfast for his daughter. It is like when neither she or Stella can open a jar and need him to do it–it just makes him feel good. To be of help to his girls.

"Thanks dad!" Nami holds the piece of heavily buttered toast between her teeth carefully and dashes off to her room. "I'm goin' to get ready!"

"Okay." He calls after her, cutting his own piece of toast and spreading on his blueberry jam. He goes back to the room he shares with his beloved and gets dressed quickly and casually. His tuxedo is at an apartment without a dog while Stella's dress is at Talia's.

"Okay! We're ready! Go-go-go!" Nami shouts like a troupe leader. She sends her father down the hallway first, to take his truck to the church with his tuxedo and the boys with him. She and her mother go over to Talia's place and are greeted by four eager-beavers.

Stella's dress is absolutely magnificent. It's a pure snow white, sating glittering like icy water. The neck line plunges to an acceptable level--one that's suitable to the bride, anyway. A sash of Egyptian cotton is tied loosely around her hips while the bow rests against the flowing skirt, which extends to the floor. As for the veil... Stella didn't want to have to worry about it being an inconvenience, so a simple a crown of amaryllises sits atop her curls with a small veil attached in the back.

Nami grins. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The ceremony is unorthodox and casual, being held in Central Park, under a large weeping willow which is conveniently close to a rather romantic pond. They've even taken some of the white amaryllis bouquets and thrown them into the water for effect.

Stella and Mac Taylor - officially, now - could not be happier. They've finally found a way to make sure they're together forever. Stella always has someone who loves her, now, and who will never hurt her. Mac will always have someone to pick up the pieces he loses and hold him tight against the storm. And they both have Nami.

Nami smiles as her both of her aunts let the tears fall, though some more than others-Lindsay. She smiles wider as Jess pats the blonde on the head comfortingly then turns her attention back to the couple of the hour. Nami has never seen them so happy - though the day he first proposed might be a close second - and she knows it's her God-given solace that they'll stay this happy. If he'd waited all this time to give her one she could not have asked for a better one. Okay, maybe she could have done without her last abduction and trip to Greece but this more or less made up for that.

Flack, who gave up being Mac's best man to give Stella away, is trying his best not to cry. He has never seen his best friends so happy, and he does love them like a brother and sister, per-say. Mac is kind of like an older brother to him; albeit one who scares the crap out of him sometimes. Stella really is like a sister to him; probably an older sister, who looks out for him in her own maternal way, but he still feels entitled to be overprotective of her. A few tears may escape, but they shall be manly tears of joy! Very masculine...

Talia and her sisters are all crying and holding each other like it's a heart breaking drama that has made onto the big screen. This is better, of coarse. Talia's shoulder has healed enough for her to simply hold her arm the right way–despite Christina's and Hawkes' protests. Amanda took them all on a kamikaze shopping trip before the wedding, though Talia and Elena ended up getting the same dress but in different colors, as did Amanda and Daniella. Talia had wanted her boyfriend, Danny Christianson, to be there, but he was in Chicago and couldn't make it back in time. But he sent his love–and a few words she wouldn't want to repeat in front of Daniella.

Christine is sitting beside Hawkes and Sid, who was able to come for just the one - very special - day. They seem to be quick buddies, having friends, medical degrees, and slight abnormalcy in common. Christine and Hawkes seem to be especially friendly. Her pale green dress highlights her glossy brown curls and emerald eyes. Hawkes seems to have noticed.

Adam and Kendall, who had just moved back from Queens, were the flower girl and ring bearer. Sure, it's a little odd to some, but they had neither a lot of options nor young friends, so there.

"You may now kiss the bride."

So he does. And when he feels their lips meet like they have so many times before it feels different, because they're not just Stella's lips, anymore, they're Stella Taylor's - his wife's - lips. She gladly lets him take her lips in his and sighs happily against his soft skin. As they separate they beam at each other dreamily and exchange those _three little words_.

"Let's hear it for Mr. and Mrs. Mac Taylor!" Danny cheers.

Cheers and wolf-whistles erupted throughout their guests. People rejoice and hug each other and even the men share restrained and manly hugs with the groom. So much masculinity in such a tender moment...

"Congratulations you guys!" Danny says first, laughing and smiling his famous Messer-Smile. He kisses Stella's cheek, his bristles tickling her cheek a bit. "Now, when are we gonna get some o' that cake?"

"Danny!" Lindsay scolds, hitting him lightly on the chest.

"It's okay, Danny, you can have the fourth slice." Stella laughs.

"The fourth?!! I dare anybody to get in line before me! You ever been bitten by a hungry Italian?! I hurts... like a mother-"

"Uncle Danny, it's mom, then dad, then me, then you." Nami says in a calming way.

His face melts instantly as he scoops her up in his arms. "Of coarse! You are the Princess of the party after all!"

"Uncle Danny!" Nami squeals as he spins her around in his arms.

"Danny, put her down, she's going to be sick!" Lindsay says, trying to get her down but not be hit by her feet at the same time.

"Come on Doll-face, let's go get some of that cake!"

"Okay!" They all start down the street from the park, though Stella and Mac stand aside for a moment. Stella makes sure everyone is out of ear shot and then looks up at her husband shyly.

"Stell, is there something you want to tell me?" He asks in a way that makes it difficult for her to tell whether he's being facetious or not.

"Is there something you want me to tell you?" She asks in return, coyly, checking if what she'd said even made any sense.

"Is it something about a pregnancy test you tried to hide in Nami's wastebasket?" He smirks as he knows he's caught her. "I couldn't be happier, Stell. I also can't believe you didn't take more care in hiding your evidence."

"It's the hormones!" She busts in her defense, still holding her bouquet. "And you're really okay with this? It's not too soon, is it?"

"No, of coarse not. When I said I wanted another daughter I meant as soon as possible, and frankly, less than twenty-four hours is as fast as I could have hoped for."

"Well, when the ovary-"

"Yeah, okay-anyway... " He cuts her off, not wanting to think about that. "You really had me worried. I mean, call me paranoid, but it was in _Nami's _trash can and you hadn't said anything about it-"

"Ha! You thought-" Stella covers her mouth with her hand to hide her unladylike guffaws. "Mac, she's ten! She hasn't even started-"

"Again, okay–I'm good without the explanation." He says quickly, wanting to think about that even less. "I can't wait for the baby, Stell."

"I hope it's another girl. Nami's really looking forward to being a big sister, and I think she'd love having a baby girl to mother and protect."

"Yeah, she has your mothering instincts." Mac mutters with a tone that says he is not entirely pleased with that fact. "Dammit. Well, she's going to have to settle for having a little sister because she's not having babies until she's been married for fifty years and she's not getting married until she's fifty five!"

Stella just smiles, knowing he's not being serious. He's too sensible for that, and they both know that if Nami asked him with those big kitty-cat eyes if she could go to a movie with a boy he would - albeit grudgingly - let her go. "You just like being ridiculously overprotective like that for fun, don't you?"

"I'm half serious. I'm never letting that girl out of our grasp again, Stella." He says in a soft tone.

"She's too much of a free spirit." She says just as quietly.

"Like you." He smiles lovingly, kissing her. "I love you, Stella."

"I love you too, Mac."

Eight months, three weeks and two days later; not so loving.

"I'm going to kill you, Mac Taylor!" Stella shouts as if it is her dying curse to him. "This is all your damn fault!"

Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Angell were there, but after the boys came to be one dilation away from fainting the girls took them away.

"Come on, Stella, honey, push!" Mac urges as a last resort of distraction from the pain in his quickly dying hand.

"What the hell do you think I've been doing, MARINE?!!" She bites at him, panting, hair stuck to her forehead.

"Push!" The doctor says. "Only a few more, Stella, you can do it!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-SOMEBODY KILL MAC TAYLOR!!"

"Push!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-YOU TOO!!!!"

"Last one!"

Stella lets out one more deafening cry when it all stops. The shouting, the screaming, the only-half-empty-threats. Crying. The baby is crying for its mother as it's being washed off and wrapped up. Stella lays her head on the damp hospital pillow and tries to catch her breath. She can hear the crying, and it makes her smile. "Mm... wh-where-where's my daughter?"

The doctor is about to hand her the baby when Nami moves from her spot beside the bed up further, to where her mother's head lay.

"Oh Nami, your baby sister is here." Stella whispers dreamily.

"I know, mom. She's so beautiful." Nami cries, letting her tears fall onto her mother's also teary cheeks and watching their tears mix on her tan skin. "She looks just like you. I mean, she has a little bit of dad, but not much."

"Oh, baby." Stella motions with her head and pecks her oldest daughter on the cheek, and then her husband, as she can't lift her head yet. "I'm sorry, honey, you know-"

"I know." He smiles and brushes her hair back.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Taylor, your daughter is here and healthy." The doctor hands her to her mother gently. "She's beautiful."

"She is." Stella whispers as she looks in wonder at the little bundle of life she and her husband have created. The most brilliant miracle in the world; a child being born. "Hi, baby. Oh, aren't you just mommy's little angel? You're so beautiful. You have your daddy's eyes."

Mac leans over, swallows a sob and smiles lopsidedly. "No she doesn't."

"She kind of does." Stella returns his lopsided smile.

"She's just as gorgeous as her mother." He kisses her.

The baby starts to squirm in the blanket.

"Oh, no-no-no, baby, sh. Mommy's got you. Mommy's here, baby girl." Stella comforts her newborn daughter, holding her close against her still pounding heart. "See? You're okay. You're okay, honey. You've got your mommy, and your daddy, and your big sister all here."

Mac takes the bundle and looks a little nervous; he's never held a baby before. After receiving encouraging nods from Stella and Nami he smiles at the baby girl. "Hi, sweetheart. It's me. It's your daddy. I'm already in love with you, baby girl. I'm in love with your mommy too, but in a different way."

Stella laughs softly and turns to Nami. "Nami, do you want to hold her?"

"Mom, are you-"

"Yes." She says firmly, taking the infant from Mac's arms and holding her in front of Nami. "Just hold her like this... okay, honey?"

Nami nods and takes the baby easily. She holds her securely in her smaller arms and brushes a finger over the baby's thin wisps of curly caramel hair. "You're going to be the most loved baby in the whole world. I'm your big sister now, and I'm going to protect you forever." She changes the baby's position so that her hands are around the blanket and at the back of her head. She holds the baby's forehead to her cheek and rocks her as if it's the most natural thing in the world to her.

"We need a name." Stella states first.

They'd taken forever on names, and it had been a bit of an ordeal. First they had to decide if they wanted a meaningful name or just a regular name. A Greek name, or any name. Then they went through books, and lists, and a few papers' birth listings. Finally, when they had decided, it was set.

"Welcome to the world, Calista Claire Taylor."

"_You're helping us make baklava for the wedding, right?"_

"_Yes." Nami lets the gentle patter of the rain on the bedroom window overtake the two while she considers things. It was the truth, about her wanting them to have a biological child, even if they became more attached to it than her. However, what she has to think about is how another Taylor with affect her, as the only one not related by blood, and how she had vowed to protect them all with her life. _

_Protect. It's her favorite and least favorite word all at once. _

_She believed with all her heart that her purpose in life to protect people, and make other people happy. Over time, that belief wavered and changed slightly, but never completely disappeared. She still believed she was meant to protect those dear to her, she was just losing her faith a little bit. In failing to protect the man she saw as her father for so many years, she turned her back on the belief and altered it to become the belief that she could only protect those she loved. At the time, that was a very small number. Herself; the one and only. _

_Meeting the people who are now her family, and once again becoming part of a world that did not pack her into crates, she morphed her philosophy again. _

_As if standing in front of a mirror when reflecting - in an almost literal sense - on this one constant principle, she'd had to shatter a few to get to the one that didn't distort her in reality. The one she stands in front of now is the one she wants to stand in front of forever, because she can see more than just herself on its reflective surface. _

"_Nami."_

_She looks up and blinks slowly, coming out of her thoughts to see her mother's lips set into a straight line, much like her father's are a lot of the time._

"_When this baby is born, it will be loved just as much as you--no more, no less, do you understand me?"_

_She nods, looking into her mother's fierce green eyes and never once focusing on anything other than her words. The words are filled with resolute intentions. _

"_And when this baby comes into the world, it will be the youngest in our family, and need protection. Things will change, and I'm not promising a perfect life from here on-in."_

_She blinks, otherwise remaining perfectly still._

"_But you are Nami Stella Taylor. Our oldest daughter, child, and now the oldest Taylor child. I know you take it upon yourself to protect the world - inheriting your damn father's damn hero complex - and, as much as I hate that, you will have to protect this baby. Your father and I have become parents, and as parents we have come to devote our lives to our child–now children. Where do you stand on all of this?"_

_Nami hears her heartbeat in her ears, but doesn't dare breathe yet, afraid it will break her rapidly moving train of thoughts. She considers things for a moment, steels her resolve, and then looks at her mother with the same resolution she can still see in her. "I've been your daughter for a little less than a month, now, but I love all three of you more than anything in the world. I do wish I could protect everyone, but the fact that I can't do that leaves me with one option." She looks at herself once more in her metaphorical mirror and speaks. "As Nami Stella Taylor, I'm going to protect all of you with my life - whether you like it or not - and that includes this new life, here." _

_Stella's serious expression softens to that of a mother's again. _

"_I know I can't protect everyone, and that certain thing are always going to happen whether we want them to or not, but I'm your eldest child, now, and I'm here to stay." _

"So, Cali, you ready to go home, soon? Mom and dad even let me keep your crib in my room! Granted it took a heck of a lot of prodding, but I did it! I'll read you bedtime stories every night - after mom feeds you, of coarse - and I'll make sure to protect you from bad dreams. I'll be your own two-in-one dream catcher! Which reminds me, mom got a rocking chair to put in her's and dad's room, so you'll be comfortable when you're hungry. We also have a dog, but he's pretty small, and he knows to be super gentle with you. And... "

Stella and Mac watch their oldest talk excitedly to their youngest daughter warmly. Stella's curls are splayed out over the pillow, though a few are still rustled around her forehead. She's truly exhausted, but having Mac beside her in that damn-uncomfortable bed and Nami with the baby help ease her mind. Stating that she "felt better already" wasn't going to fly, though.

"And we'll play games anytime you want, and I'll teach you how to get your eyes all big so Daddy, and Uncle Danny, and Uncle Flack, and Uncle Sheldon, and Uncle Adam, and Grandpa Sid won't ever be able to say no to you. You'll have them wrapped around your chubby little fingers from the minute they meet you." Nami smiles warmly. "You had me wrapped around your finger before you were even born."

Calista blinked her tiny eyes and looked up at her big sister, smiling.


	33. Epilogue: Returning to The Scene

Returning to the Scene of the Crime

"Mac, we're lost." Stella says tiredly.

"We're not lost, Stella, we just haven't found it yet." He says back evenly, eyes still on the map.

"Mommy, I'm tired." Cali mumbles sleepily from where she's dozing on Nami's back. The exhausted little three year old has lost all of her energy over the run of the hectic day, and had been riding her sister for the past hour and a half.

"I know, baby." Stella coos, bending to kiss her youngest daughter's soft curls, though they'd been tied into pigtails with purple ribbons. She turns back to her husband with a stern look. "Mac, my babies are tired, and so are we. I say we just find another inn here and find the other one in the morning."

"Where are we staying again?" Nami asks, looking at a place just across the street.

"Athena Palace, why?"

"There it is." Nami points ahead to the sign that has the name written in big blue English lettering. It's a wholesome little place fairly close to the coast and not too far a drive into the city. It's obviously made for tourists, but not in a tacky, or flashy way. She's sure Greeks go there occasionally, just for a weekend away or something, but they're the tourists on whom the place probably thrives. The more she listens to herself the more she realizes her mom's right when she say she's "thirteen going on thirty".

Stella and Mac turn to the side to see the place they'd almost walked right past. "Oh. Well, alright-y then."

"Come on, Cal, just a li'l bit further." Nami says happily, adjusting Cali on her back and walking across the practically deserted-at-that-time-of-night road with her parents.

"Seepy." Cali spits out as a response.

"You mean sleepy, Calla Lily?" Nami laughs quietly.

"Uh-huh, sl-l-l-l-l-l-leepy." She corrects herself.

"Okay, almost there."

"Hi, welcome to Άθήνη Παλλάς." The girl at the counter greets happily, despite having the late-night shift. "You folks look tired, especially these darling little ones here. How can I help?"

"We're the Taylors." Mac says plainly.

"Ah, yes, here's your room key and I'll help you with those bags." She hands Stella the small keys, though she also has the younger girl in her arms, and comes out from behind the counter.

"Oh, thank you. We're all beat." She sighs.

"Well, you've come a long way; New York City, right?" The family simply nods, making her smile. "Well, welcome to Athens. My name is Daphne and I'll be at your service. I'll have our Chef Elizabeth whip you up some nice breakfasts in bed, our treat."

"Thank you so much." Stella smiles, thinking it's very nice of the girl, and liking her already. "Good luck with the rest of the night."

"You just rest up now." Daphne waves. Closing the door gently and making her way back down the creaky wooden stairs she takes on a wistful smile. She sees so many families in her line of work, but it saddens her that she can't remember all of them. She's become a pretty good judge of how the family in question functions, and she's seen a lot that don't work very well. They might be all sunshine-and-daisies when they get there, but she can usually see if it's just something temporary. Most are. That's even sadder.

These folks seem different, though. They're not struggling with anything, nor are they taking this trip to get back on any sort of track.

The mother is a beautiful Greek woman with a kind face. She could swear she seems familiar, but all the faces start to run together eventually. What's most memorable about her is her air, something of authority and honor, and her family, the way she is with them.

Her husband is a police officer, Daphne knows that, but he also seems like a military man. His physicality is strong and rigid, strict and controlled. He's only recently become a family man, seeing the way he interacts with his oldest daughter, it's like they met before they were family. Strange.

That older girl with them is obviously unrelated to them by blood, but still Daphne finds herself frowning at how hard it is to place her. Her face is different from theirs, and certainly holds no elements from either of them. She has thick, dark hair and red eyes. Her eyes are the most striking thing about her, as they're so unnaturally red she feels she could have nightmares about them.

The younger girl, though, resting in her mother's arms, is just too cute for words. Her curls-the same as her mother's-are tied in pigtails and ruffled around her tiny shoulders. Her face has her mother's pretty features and her eyes. The most of her father she has is a slight tinge of blue in her eyes and a lighter skin tone than her mother. Still, dressed in a little purple dress with flipflops she was coffee-dunkable.

"Elizabeth." Daphne calls into the kitchen.

A chef's hat is dashing around behind a few taller shelves standing behind the main island. It goes from one end to the other, back and forth, quickly until it finally stops. "Hm? Daph?"

"Elizabeth, I need you to make that nice family some breakfast in bed. Could you? Please?"

"Sure, just tell me what they'd like." The young lady takes off her chef's hat to show her tight curls tucked behind her ears. She doesn't technically have to wear a chef's hat and shirt, and such, but she just likes to, plus she's had them since she was fifteen.

"Just the usual, I guess. If they want anything extra I'll just have to ask you tomorrow." Daphne shrugs shyly.

"Alright, I guess it's just good we don't have too many guests right now. What do you think brings them here anyway? It's not tourist season, and for a police officer to come in the middle of the year?" Elizabeth frowns, going over to Daphne.

"I know. I think they've come here for an important reason."

Mac wakes up first, remembering they were here in Greece on a mission. Well, first was to have fun with the kids, but the second was to return to the scene of a crime committed more than two years ago.

"Mac? Time?" Stella grumbles from beside him, in her typical Stella-is-not-a-morning-person way.

"Early. We're getting breakfast in bed, remember? Just go back to sleep." He whispers, kissing her forehead, which is buried in his neck at the moment.

"Gladly." She sighs against his neck, heating the skin and tickling him ever so slightly.

He glances over to the other bed where Nami and Cali sleep soundly. Nami is curled around Cali like a cat with her kitten, while Cali is cuddling a lock of Nami's hair. Chilly, Cali's bedtime-penguin-buddy is on the other side of her, one flipper/wing over her tiny body. He's a very stylish penguin, with a blue snow/night cap with a little cotton ball on the end of it, a blue and green winter vest and even goggles sewn to the brim of his hat for when he's going snow boarding. He's almost as big as the ever-growing Cali, and soft like velvet. Cali's always said his beak looks somewhat like a carrot. Mac smiles.

Looking up at the ceiling and watching the fan go around and around and around he breathes calmly. The reason they've come back to Greece is not far from them, now, and soon they'll be just below it.

The cliff on which they all could have died years ago is only a quarter of a mile away. Maybe about a half a mile, if you go along the twisting paths, that is. They're going to have a day on the beach just below it, to try and get some mutated form of closure.

"Knock, knock."

Mac looks up to where Daphne's stuck her head through the crack in the doorway. "Daphne, come on in."

"I'm not waking anyone..." She looks around and finds she's contradicting herself. "Oh, I am. I'm so sorry."

"That's alright." Stella groans as she sits herself up, leaning on Mac's strongly muscled shoulder.

"Good morning Mrs. Taylor." Daphne smiles.

"Oh, please, call me Stella. Not that I don't love being Mrs. Taylor, but it makes me feel kind of old, plus it's so formal." She mumbles half-coherently.

"Alright-y then, Stella. What about the little ones?" She asks, looking at the girls nestled in the nest of sheets. The older one is starting to wake up, and to give them the benefit of the doubt it is early.

"Mm, I smell fresh fruit." Nami blurts, the tip of her tongue sticking out like a cat's.

"Oh, indeed you do, Miss Taylor." Daphne smiles and opens the door wider so Elizabeth can bring in the trays of food she's made specially for them.

"You could have helped carry some." She states comically while balancing all four trays in her two arms. "Too late now, though."

"We've got fresh fruit and crepes for you, just to keep things simple." Daphne says with a wave of her finely manicured hand.

"Looks good."

Mac turns to see his wife coming out to join him on the deck. She's changed into a green sun dress to wear over the navy blue bikini he'd bought her before they came. "Yeah, that's it."

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" She asks, sliding her arms around his hard torso and resting her head on his shoulder. "Three years."

They're looking at the old ruins of Edward's villa and the abandoned St. Basil's above it.

Edward's villa is just a few jagged lumps of stone, once white but now grimy and yellowish, worn by the elements. If there was any wood left at any time it was surely rotten by the humid and salty air.

The old church above it is almost invisible, as that which hadn't been blown into tiny pieces every-which-way was in the hole that used to be the basement. The walls and upper parts had imploded in the explosions and fallen right into it.

The cliff-rock around them both was also severely damaged. It has gaping holes in it where the explosions nicked it. The tiny patches of grass which were scattered about before then were also gone. Some of the rocks were scorched from the intense heat, turned a dark brown color, almost in a cartoon-like way.

"All that time and I still have dreams about it, sometimes." He frowns, leaning against her head slightly. "In one of them...I lost you and Nami, and I'd went back to New York without you. I went back to being old, closed-in Mac, and eventually, I died too. I was expecting to see you in heaven, but I didn't."

"You still believe in heaven?" She asks with a quipping tone.

"Do you not?"

"Well, I thought you'd given up on that." She sighs as she begins to rock them back and forth.

"I think you made me into a good person again." He laughs.

"Mac, you never stopped being an incredible person."

Mac turns his head and kisses her without a thought. "Come on, let's get down to the beach before the girls send that couch through the floor."

The parents turn to where Nami and Cali are jumping on the large couch for joy, celebrating their first family vacation.

Stella, however, is not so impressed. "Calista Claire Taylor, you and your sister have to the count of three to get off that couch!"

The girls hop off before Stella even fills her lungs enough to say one. "Sorry, mom."

"That's better, now since we don't jump on the furniture at home, we certainly do not jump on furniture that is not ours, right?"

"Yes, mom."

"Good, now let's go have a picnic on the beach."

For the rest of the day the family enjoys themselves on the white sandy beach right below the ruins of their nightmares.

Cali and Nami splash around in the shallow water, Nami being extra protective of Cali as it's her first time in open water. Their father had tried to teach her to swim in the pool but she only wanted to play motorboat that day, so he moved the swimming lesson for after vacation. Nami said that princesses didn't have to know how to swim like Marines.

Stella and Mac stay on the beach for a bit, making sure they can always see their children, but relax. Under the umbrella Stella lies in the navy blue bikini Mac had bought her before their trip and Mac in a t-shirt and his swim shorts.

Eventually, she goes in with them, running right into the water and scooping Cali right up. She puts Cali on her hip and wades a little deeper, holding the girl by her itty-bitty waist while she splashed around like a seal.

Mac is the last to go in the water, but when he does, they go all-out. He puts Nami on his shoulders while Stella gets Cali on hers and they have a gentle water fight.

Cali loves to splash water at her daddy and big sister, and Stella seems to love getting Mac just as much-maybe even more. Of coarse they do get splashed a little, but a truce is called soon when Nami gets off her own father's back and dives into the clear sea water. She comes back up behind her mother and lifts the three year old off her shoulders gently. Holding her by her wrists, the two girls splish-splosh around, giggling and sharing jokes only sisters could even understand.

To any onlookers, they look like a normal family. A husband and wife, both attractive, friendly looking and apparently both of whom can swim like otters. Two daughters, different looking, but closer than a lot of blood-relatives ever are with each other.

No one would guess that three fourths of that very nice family are there to bury nightmares and demons. You wouldn't think that they wake up in the middle of the night shouting an old enemies name and then HAVE to check on their parents or daughter. They don't seem like the kind of people who got a new security system for a New York apartment, just to feel that little bit safer in their own home.

Maybe because today they aren't that haunted family.

Today, they are the Taylors. Vacationing!

They are there to enjoy themselves, and mark the start of a new life, behind which they can leave their darker pasts.

If a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime, what does the victim of that crime do if they live to leave? Would they return?

Probably not the best idea, but for the Taylors it brings peace.

Except for Cali, who, fortunately, wasn't there for any of it anyway.


	34. Epilogue: The Everyday Reminders

The Everyday Reminders

Red eyes peer through the glass window. Accompanying her parents to work was her idea, so she could see what it's like on duty. Sitting in on interrogations was something the fourteen year old's father was certainly against, but she had managed to talk him into at least one. This one in particular, though, was probably not the best choice.

"Yo, man, I 'idn't do nothin'!" The African-American man, Green, says in his defense, clearly the stereotypical bad-ass-with-bling.

"I've got your DNA on the gun that was used to kill Sheila Benton." Mac says calmly, getting more and more irritated by the moment. Not only is he troubled by the fact that Nami is behind the glass listening to every vulgar thing that comes out of this delinquent's mouth, but also that it will no doubt become worse and worse.

"Hey, da's not ma gun! I don't know nuthin' on how de bitch got killed." He repeats in his same holey grammar.

"Hey, man, it doesn't matter if it's your gun or not, because all a jury's going to see is your epithelials on the gun that was used to beat and kill her." Mac says a little more forcefully this time.

"Alright! So I shot d'bitch, so what?! You know what it's like-guys like us got it hard'n life, sometimes y'kneed a li'l-"

"Don't you go comparing yourself to me; I'm a cop, you're a murderer." Mac says vehemently, wishing more than ever Nami weren't there to hear all of it.

"What about dat bitch cop you gots it goin' on wid?" Green spits, putting his hands on the table and leaning forward. "You must love gettin' that curly hair all tangled when she's givin' you d'blow."

Mac growls loudly, trying to contain his rage at how this jackass is talking about his Stella.

"You must get her doin' you every night, man, piece a'ass dat fine. Man, I'd have me in a chair smackin' dat all de time. Get those C-sizers all up in ma grill, mm!" Green smirks as he's clearly imagining doing all this with her and at how furious Mac looks. "What? Don't like me talkin' aboutcha bitch like dat? I bet you da perfect whipped-ass. You gotta learn women should be tame and ready to be screwed every night."

Mac still stays silent, for fear of losing every once of control he's built up over entire lifetime. He can't fathom anyone degrading Stella in such a horrid way. In his opinion, she's a million times too good even for him-her husband, which makes how much better she is than Green inexplicable. "Sit down."

"Would I eva luv to get dat sharp tongue up on ma d-"

"Hey!"

"Flack." Mac looks over his shoulder to see Flack standing there rigidly, just as disgusted by Green's words as he.

"Alright, Green, that's a confession." Flack says firmly, making it clear they're almost done here-no room for discussion. "Also, you better watch it when you're bad mouthin' cops."

"Dat bitch pro'ly got da job 'coz a dose supa-fine ladies." Green says with a cackle as he gropes at the air.

Flack now understands why Mac looks so strained; he's disgusted. "Don't make me punch you, Green; I don't wanna get your grease on my new suit."

"So what if'a killed dat Sheila? So what if'a dumped'er dead body in'a Hudson? Nobody's go'a miss'er. Das what I do wit ma bitches when'ey die. I bet dat curly 'aired bimbo looks some sweet when she sleepin'. Wunda how she look dead." Green says in such a maniacal way they're almost thinking he might be mentally unstable.

"I hear you got a li'l bitch, too."

Mac and Flack are both petrified. They were already starting to bristle and now it's only a matter of seconds before they jump at him like hyenas.

Nami now sees why her father didn't want her to sit in on the interrogation. She barely stopped herself from spitting up from Green's disgusting talk about her mother, but herself?! What's wrong with this son of a bitch?!!?

"How old's she? I can fix'er up with a fine time. Make'er scream. Man, I love it when'ey scream! Fight'cha off a li'l. They cryin' cause you all up in 'em, and you gents know what'a mean. She'd look fine lyin' under me. I can see how she'd die, now; chokin' on ma-"

Mac takes in one sharp breath and jumps over the table, grabbing Green's shirt collar and throwing him up against the wall. He brings his face close to his and looks at him murderously as one arm presses against his throat. The other goes to his gun and draws it quickly. "You shut your dirty asshole of a mouth."

"Hey! Policed brutality 'ere!" Green chokes out.

"You're lucky I'm not on you in the same way." Flack says darkly. "Now, I'm gonna lock you up, and if I hear one more bad-ass perverted word out of your mouth I'll make sure you get an equally sick cell-mate. You like violating people, Green? You can try it, then!"

"Whateva, just get dis joka off me!" Green gasps.

"Get 'im outta here!" Flack wags his fingers for the officers to take him away. They take the man under the arms, leaving Mac and Flack to stand in silence, their heads down low. Mac is leaning against the wall, head rested against his fist and breathing ragged. Flack's thoughts are on a similar track, but as the newly promoted Chief of Police he has to calm himself. Everyone knew that Stan Gerrard killed a man for raping his daughter with his partner in crime, and a lot of people couldn't blame him, even if he was a rat-bastard.

Nami stands in the small room behind the glass, between the rest of the precinct and the actual interrogation room. Her eyes are wide and disturbed, the shadows from the other rooms forming in the crevices around her tear ducts. Her stomach is still horribly perturbed but she's determined to keep it together, just of her own stubbornness. If this is the job, she can take it. She may not want to, but she will.

"Mac, I'm sorry. Given the circumstances, I'm not going to flag you on anything, but I think you should go cool off." Flack's eyes meet Mac's and they both know what he means; I want to kill him just as much as you do, but you have to be with them now.

"Thanks, Flack." Mac nods and walks out stiffly. Closing the door behind him automatically, he sees Nami, calm as ever, standing there. Waiting for him. He nearly throws up then-and-there, thinking that not only was hearing Green himself bad enough, but the fact that she was there to hear it too... he grunts. She sees this as a sign of his struggle. He can see that she's as disturbed as he is, just handling it a little better. She can see that he's afraid of what this is doing to him. Walking over to him slowly he grabs her small shoulders and hugs her so tightly he's afraid he'll suffocate her. He can't stop, though, because he needs to know that this has all been a nightmare. Seeing her face when pulls away, he gets the reassurance he needs, and they walk out.

"Dad, I think you should go to your office; maybe have a nap." Nami suggests calmly, though what she's really telling him to do is sleep off his worry. His office is the best place for him right now because he'll be around their friends, even if not interacting with them, and there's a photo of her and her mother on his desk. As a reminder.

"Yeah, okay." He smiles sadly at her and tries to burn the image into his mind. Her innocent, loving smile. She's some of the little innocence he sees left in the world.

"Okay. I'm going to stay here and wait for mom, then we'll come over to the lab, and we'll all go home." She says in a tone so much like her mother's it makes him smile a little more.

"Alright, honey."

"Miss Bonasera, do you have children?"

Stella remains silent for a moment. Her face is calm, though her slightly turbulent green eyes are trained on the tear stained woman's face. The frantic mother is only trying to find out what happened to her daughter, and the department had been far from helpful. "Yes."

"How many?" The woman gasps desperately.

"Two daughters, Mrs. Lessings." Stella answers flatly, again.

"Then you know what it's like!" Mrs. Terry Lessings says as she stands, grabbing her own hair and pulling slightly. "You know what I'm going through! My daughter was taken from me! Taken a week ago, and no one has found her yet!"

"Yes, Mrs. Lessings, I do know what that's like." Stella says, her voice still not totally warm or cold. She's trying to watch things from afar, and stay detached, but it's hard.

"Well then why haven't they brought my baby back to me yet?!" Terry screams, walking around to relieve minuscule tension. Turning back to Stella, she looks absolutely crazed. "I know my exhusband did it! I know it, but no one will listen to me!"

"Mrs. Lessings, we can't prove-"

"What about your husband?" Stella tenses visible and begins to frown. "The father of your children. He's a good man, isn't he? I bet he's as good as gold to you and your daughters. He'd never hurt you or the girls, would he?"

Stella can't answer, but she knows the answers before the questions are even completed.

"My exhusband molested my youngest daughter and kidnaped her!" Lessings shouts angrily. She goes over to the reflective glass window and looks at her haggard reflection. "Maybe it's my fault."

"Of coarse it's not." Stella supplies simply.

"You're a smart, beautiful woman. You have two daughters and a husband who loves you." Terry smiles at first, taking Stella's hands, but then her face turns to disgust and anger. "What would you know?"

Stella breathes a sigh and reaches for the folder on the table. "Terry, your exhusband didn't take your Angelina. Your oldest daughter, Megan, did."

Terry shakes her head. "No. No, that's impossible. Megan loves her little sister, and Angel loves her too."

"Megan was tired of you putting Angel first, so she decided to send her to her aunt's for the weekend when you were out of town. She tried to get her out quietly, but the security alarm went off and Angel started crying. Afraid of being caught, Megan tried to quiet her down by holding her hand over her nose and mouth. She didn't know she was choking her, though, until Angel was passed out. Then, thinking she'd killed her, she dumped her body in the harbor, where Angel... " Stella can't finish. She can't tell this woman a boat had sliced through the little girl's body. "I'm so sorry for your loss, I truly am."

"No! My exhusband took my baby and she is still out there--you're wasting time! Find her!!"

Stella nods for the officers to take the woman somewhere less stressful. She looks back at the reflective glass and frowns. "Nami?"

Stepping out sheepishly Nami smiles and nods sharply. "Mom."

"Nami, what are you doing back there? Did you hear all of that? God, that is not the kind of thing a girl your age should hear." Stella runs a hand through her curls for a minute then turns back to Nami. "Honey, I know this is something you want to do, but I just don't know if you should be coming into work with us and being exposed this."

"Mom, dad had a much worse one just a few minutes ago." Nami sighs, shaking her head. "Lets just get dad and go home."

"Where is your father anyway?" Stella asks as they start walking down the hall. Part of her misses the time, years ago, when Nami would automatically reach for a hand, but her moving on from that means her healing, so, alright.

"He's at the lab."

Stella walks into his office quietly, seeing him asleep in his chair. She sits down on the couch close to it and watches him sleep. His face is disturbed, though, and his usual frown is even deeper in his sleep. He snaps his head to the right, and then to the left, telling her it's time to wake him up from what ever was going on. "Mac? Mac, baby, wake up."

"Mm... Stella?" He cracks his neck against the back of his chair and squints against the bright florescent light of the lab. He shakes his head a little and sees Stella looking at him worriedly. "Stella."

"Mac-!" Stella doesn't get a chance to speak as he pulls her against him and squeezes her tight. It feels as though he's afraid to let go, like something will happen to her if he does, which worries her. "Mac?"

"Stella, promise you'll never leave. Promise me you'll never leave my side." He says a little sharper than he'd meant to. "Please."

"Of coarse, Mac. I couldn't leave you if I tried." She says sincerely, wiggling her arms from between their bodies and wrapping them around his broad back. He needs the comfort and, as the wife, she's there to offer it. "I love you too much, Mac Taylor."

"I love you more." He whispers, putting his hand on her soft curls.

"I don't think that's possible." She laughs gently, but still means it. She nuzzles the fabric of the shirt he's wearing--which also happens to be the shirt she slept in the night before.

"Stell, you know I can't lose anyone else-"

"Mac-"

"Stella, you just promised you wouldn't leave me. After I lost Claire I really thought I wouldn't get through that, but you helped me. Now that I have you and Nami and Cali, I... " Mac lets his eyes speak for themselves, as usual. They both know he's not always good with words, so he tries his old way; speaking with his eyes. He knows Stella understands him best, so he doesn't need to explain anything verbally. Something for which he is very grateful.

"Mac, I know what you're trying to say, and you need to know that you don't have to be afraid of being left alone like that again." Stella says evenly, trying to assure him.

"They're sweet, ah?"

Nami turns from watching her parents have a heart to heart and sees a young man about her age standing there. He has dark hair and the most crystalline eyes she's ever seen--save for the unnaturally blue glass eye of one girl in an orphanage in Spain. "May I help you?"

"Oh, my apologies, I'm Ray Somerville, I'm trying for an internship here." He says, extending his thin hand, which is slightly purple from the cold.

"Ooh, hate to say this, but you may not get that. Paperwork's been slower lately." Nami dead-pans with a smile, shaking his freezing cold hand happily. "I'm sure you'd be great, though."

"Well, thank you, but what does paper work have to do with the internship?" Ray frowns, looking confused.

"Okay, you see... " Nami and Ray look back to where Stella and Mac have actually begun to kiss deeply-and soon it will become even deeper. Nami twitches her mouth, straining her neck as a "eeugh" sound comes from between her meshed teeth. She turns back to him. "The people in there making out are Mac and Stella Taylor. Mac Taylor is the one who put in for the intern, but that was mainly to avoid mountains of paperwork."

"Oh, I see. How come you know so much about this?" He tilts his head, making his disheveled bang-ish-things go with it. "Wait! I saw you on the news, I think. You're going to get early acceptance into the police academy, right? Youngest ever? Well, you're just the original Mary-Sue, arent'cha?"

"Excuse me?" Nami repeats her cringing action.

"You're just one of those, like, perfect people." He says confidently.

"Aren't we feeling a little presumptuous. For your information, I have quite a few faults that I wouldn't wish on my worst... okay, maybe I would, but that would make me a horrible person." Nami looks back to her parents, who are - to her relief - no longer making out.

"Come on, they can't be that bad." Ray prods, eager to learn more about this mystery-girl in the know.

"Alright, Mr. Nosy, you want to know? Fine. I have a genetic fault that will one day kill me in the same way crystal meth would. It will shut down my body from the inside out, slowly and painfully. The only differences are that this gene is not on the market and it will actually eat me, like a parasite, if that makes sense to you." She says with such a nonchalant tone he finds it chilling. "Your turn."

He doesn't know what to say. "I, uh... once wet myself at school?"

"Oh, well that's much worse." She smirks sarcastically. He still looks nervous, though, so she smiles. It really was sweet of him to try and offer something of condolence. "I appreciate the sentiment, thanks, and I know you got an early acceptance into the academy too."

"Really?" He asks excitedly. "Oh my God, that's so cool! Thanks!"

"Don't thank me, we'll both be working under my dad." She smiles, thinking of how... interesting... it's going to be, having this guy as her partner. "I hope you don't scare easily. He was a Marine."

"Who's your dad?"

"I am." Mac says suddenly and loudly. "Front and center!"

"Mac Taylor, sir!" Ray sees in his periphery her, shaking her head.

"Don't call me sir!" Mac barks.

Nami smiles and thinks about how much things have changed for her and her family. She also thinks about how the world has and has not changed. Supposing it's just taking time, all she can do is wait. She wonders if her mother and father have changed much, aside from the changes they underwent from when they first met. Her father seems to be dead-set on acting hostile towards Somerville, which leads her to believe he's still being overprotective. "Dad?"

"Yeah, Nami?" He asks in a quieter tone.

"You're scaring my new partner."

"Partner?" Mac looks back at the somewhat skinny young man in front of him with a scowl. "You?"

"Ray Somerville, sir." Ray salutes like a robot. He feels heat bubble up his neck as he hears Nami and Stella giggle.

"What part of _don't call me sir_ did you not understand, cadet?!" Mac snarls.

"My apologies, detective." Ray answers in the same monotone as before.

"Why don't you girls go and wait by the avalanche for me? I'll be with you in a minute." Mac suggests with a smile.

"Nami, will you go down and unlock it? I have to get my purse." Stella says with a wink, which really means she's going to keep her husband in line.

"Sure, mom. Bye, Ray! See you tomorrow!" Nami waves with a sweet and almost pitying smile. Her hips are circling a little more than normal as she walks and she knows it; now she knows why her mother relishes her father's attention so much. It makes her feel... elated, for lack of a better word.

Mac glares at Ray as his eyes drift to Nami's retreating figure and his cheeks deepen in color. He knows that look; it's the look of a man who doesn't yet realize he will feel more and more for the subject of his attention over time. Just he grew to feel more and more for Stella over time... this troubles Mac greatly. "You touch my daughter, I'll kill you. I'll kill you like a hyena kills its prey?"

Ray gulps, paling again trying not to sweat like a cow lined up for the barbeque.

"Mac! You're scaring him!" Stella scolds with her hands on her hips. She saw the look as well, but rather thinks that it would be good for her daughter to follow the same path of love she has with her husband. "I'm sorry, he's just trying to mess with you. What's your name again?"

"Ray Somerville, ma'am." Ray says, almost stumbling over his own name as she leans in close to his face.

"It's nice to meet you, Ray, and I look forward to seeing you work with our daughter. I'm sure you'll be a great detective, and unlike my husband here, I'm not going to try and scare you into quitting. All I ask is you protect her... and not tell her we said any of this, because she would have all three of our heads." Stella smiles, only half-joking.

"Right." Ray nods, liking how gentle Stella is, despite her reputation of being the detective who has kicked everyone's ass at some point or another.

"Stella's right, Ray. Welcome to the team." Mac puts his hand on the young man's shoulder and leans in close as well. "I'm serious, though. Nami Taylor is your partner, now, and that means a strictly professional relationship."

"Mac, Nami will never forgive you if she finds out about this, and let's face it; the whole professional relationship didn't work too well for us! Not that I'm complaining." She smirks and winks as subtly as possible. "Ray, I'm sure you'll be great as Nami's partner."

"Thank you, Detective... Taylor." Ray thinks about how there will be three Detective Taylors, now, as well as three CSI Taylors. He's about to say something when he feels Stella press her red glossed lips to his cheek, which is immediately set aflame. He holds his breath.

"I suppose we'll see you around, Ray. Good luck. We'll be at the ceremony tomorrow, so why not come and say hi?" She smiles, then nods and waves in the same way Nami had. She walks the same too, but maybe a little less dramatically.

"Ray, I'll leave you with that, so that you're not haunted by nightmares tonight. Everyone gets the 'scare the new kid' treatment."

Ray nods, but senses there's more.

"But in all seriousness, having a partner means that they are your other, better half. You'll need to find a balance, but I'm sure that will come with time. My wife and daughter are very important to me, and I am entrusting you with Nami's life."

Ray simply looks up at the older man with a slightly sucked in lip. He's never had a role model that cared about... well, anyone, really. His father is, to put it simply, not the most sentimental man out there. His mother was very caring, for the three years he knew her. He can't even really be sure if the memories he has of her are really memories or something with a scientific name that only a psychiatrist would know. He would rather not venture back down that road.

"I have a family. And I will do anything to protect them."

"In all seriousness, _sir_, I understand how important Nami is to you. I promise you that I will protect her with my life and try to make her mean as much to me as she means to you." Ray says bravely, and he seems to have impressed Mac. He holds his cold gaze and meets it head on.

Mac blinks. He smiles. The kid has impressed him, genuinely, and while he can be concerned about how far "make her mean as much to me as she means to you" will go later, he is simply impressed right now. "You're alright, kid. I guess we'll keep you around."

"Thank you, sir. I'll come say hi at tomorrow's ceremony."


	35. Epilogue: On That Starry, Starry Night

On That Starry, Starry Night

A field.

A field of yellow flowers.

A hill looking over said field of flowers.

Nami sits up suddenly, realizing that this is the place she'd visited in her imagination/dream, or whatever. She'd met Selene in this place, hypothetically. She turns her head to her right.

Cali smiles back at her big sister. "Nami?"

"Yeah, Cali?"

"Are mommy and daddy sleeping?"

Nami looks where her younger sister is looking and smiles. She covers her hand to keep from laughing loudly. "I think so, Cal."

Mac is definitely asleep, on his back, one hand by his side and the other on top of Stella's. His face is content and happy, and considering he's wearing a t-shirt and jeans, he's pretty darn relaxed. Even his shoes have been kicked off for maximum relaxation.

Stella is asleep, also on her back, on top of Mac's front. Her arms are crossed lazily over her torso, smaller hands both under Mac's larger one. Her chest rises and falls slowly and rhythmically. She's smiling. She's wearing a sleeveless white v-neck and black capri pants, also for her personal comfort needs. Her flip-flops are...long gone somewhere.

"I think all the grownups are sleeping." Cali declares smartly.

Nami sits up and notices her sister has a point; everyone is laying frightfully still in the fading sunlight. She hopes for a minute they all have sun screen on-Global Warming has made the sun strong enough to kill us all!-but smiles.

They'd all decided to have a big family/lab-family barbeque a little outside of the city for a day of fun. Every one of their friends had been invited, including Ray, Nami's in-training partner. Sid and the guys were manning-in a literal sense-the barbeque while the girls either set up the other food items or ran and frolicked with Cali and Nami.

Now, though, they'd all slowed down to lay on the grass and appreciate things. And by "appreciate", it's meant that they're actually all having wee catnaps.

Flack and Angell are up a tree, since they were trying to get their frisbee down, but eventually just gave up and apparently went to sleep.

Lindsay and Danny, the newly engaged, are in the back of their truck, sleeping on a blanket. They seem to like sleeping on carpeted hard surfaces that aren't meant for sleeping on.

Nami sees where Adam is sprawled out down the hill, seemingly have just plopped where he dropped. He's a funny one, he is.

Hawkes and Christine are leaning on each other under another tree with smiles on their faces. His arm is around her shoulder and her head is tucked between his head and shoulder securely. It also seems she's taken his glasses off and is keeping them from him.

Talia is sleeping on the grass with her sisters lined up beside her, coincidentally in order of youngest to oldest and at the same time shortest to tallest. Talia is perfectly still, Amanda has two limbs looking slightly displaced and is snoring, Elena is on her left side, also very still, and Daniella is laying in a star position.

Sid, Nami and Cali's _grandpa_, is...nowhere to be scene, but they just assume he's gone to his creepy place. He's most likely wandered back to his truck for something.

Ray hasn't strayed far from Nami since he arrived, and she finds that he rarely lets her out of his sight unless it's necessary anyway. She finds it odd, slightly creepy at times, but overall endearing. Now, he's halfway between unrestful sleep and jumping up to be try and be Superman. He's leaning closer to sleep, though, which is good, because the guy never rests!

Nami sits up and realizes there should be someone else here.

Aiden Burn. Her would-be-Aunt Aiden. She'd been killed years ago and it was a harsh blow to the team. Lindsay had never met her, but Danny had loved Aiden as his very best friend, and she respects that.

Nami lies back down and takes in a deep breath. The stars will be out soon. They've slept the whole afternoon, it would seem, and soon they'd eat their supper and then be stargazing with desert. Dusk is starting to fall, making the sun watery and red. It casts a few shadows on the hills.

"Nami, I'm hungry." Exclaims the four year old beside her.

"Okay, let's wake mommy and daddy up first." Nami says as she stands and then picks Cali up. She sets her on her hip, hands on her small back, and starts toward their parents.

"Oh...Mac...stop it..."

Nami's smile falls right into the grass and is replaced by a gaping 'o' shape on her lips.

"Mac...mm....love you, baby..."

Nami mouths "Oh. My. God." to herself and tries to decide whether or not to wake them up or just save Cali's virgin ears now!

"Soooooo gooooooooooooooood..."

"Mom!"

Stella jolts awake from her rather graphic dream and flips off Mac in the process. She turns over and stares at her girls. "Nami? Cali? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, mom, but I must say; it sounds like you were having a great dream." Nami smirks cheekily.

Stella's jaw drops as she realizes what the content of her dream would be rated and that she must've been talking in her sleep. She cringes, torn between feeling mortified or irritated. "Nami."

"What was your dream about, mommy? Cali asks innocently.

"Ice cream." Stella answers quickly, blurting the first thing that comes to her mind. "Never you mind, now what do you girls need?"

"Cali's hungry, and, it's getting past her bedtime." Says Nami.

"Alright. Let's wake everybody up and get this show on the road!"

The food is enough to get everyone up, and once they've had a few bites they're fully awake. After everything hot has been eaten except for the ice cream, which is now soup, they get out the cake; Strawberry shortcake, layered with light cream and sweet strawberry spread.

"This is so good!" Nami says airily, licking her lips.

"Well, thank you, Nami. I'm glad you think so." Sid says in a very gentlemanly fashion, swallowing a bite of his own piece.

"Yeah, it's really good." Ray also says, sitting beside Nami, who's still enjoying her last bite thoroughly. While a chorus of agreement sweeps over the table Ray looks at Nami. "Enjoying it?"

She nods, her tongue sticking out of her mouth ever so slightly. "I've never had this stuff before."

That's right, Ray thinks. _She's not like us..._

He can't understand her.

In training, she's a serious, intense, witty, and slightly-trigger-happy girl. She has her mother's ability to kick everyone's ass and move Christmas if she wants to. She's almost as serious and workaholic as her father, and even takes on his facial expressions and tone on the job. Times like now, though, she's completely relaxed and happy. She loves spending time with her family and friends, and, dare he say it, she looks really cute with them.

He knows her mother, Stella, was an orphan for all her life. She'd lived between St. Basil's and foster homes.

Nami is the same, except that she got out a little sooner.

He's glad, too. That life must've been hard, and the little things always surprise him; like how she's never had Strawberry Shortcake. Living a life on New York streets can't be easy, and while he doesn't know the whole story, he knows some people would and have killed to see her dead. He's not one of them; he'd kill to see her alive.

He'd never tell her that, though. God, that would be...awkward.

"Ray!"

"Hm?" Ray shakes his head, making his short hair go with it. He'd gotten the same haircut as Don Flack, which Nami laughed about at first, but then complimented, so he kept it.

"You're staring." Nami states bluntly. She turns to look behind her and then back to him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing!" He says nervously, realizing he must've been watching her for a considerable amount of time. His cheeks heat a little.

"Nami and Ray-Ray, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-"

"Cali!" Nami scolds, though her cheeks are tinged pink. "Ray-Ray and I are partners, remember? Like Mom and Da-okay, that's not really the best example right now, but you get what I mean." She sighs. "And what about that boy, Jacob? The one who pulls your hair and tries to take Chilly at snack time?"

"He's mean, though! Ray's nice and gives me piggyback rides!"

"If a boy's mean to you, Calla-Lily, he probably liiiiiiiiiiiikes you." Nami teases shamelessly.

"Who is this Jacob-boy, Cali?" Stella asks from beside her, frowning, having never heard of him. She does notice, though, how her daughter's face flames at the mention of him. In anger or in embarrassment isn't discernable, but she's not even five years old yet.

"I don't wanna talk about him." Cali says in a defiant tone.

"Mom, you know that boy that was pulling her hair in the sandbox and stole her cookies? He's the little kid with blond hair brown eyes."

"Oh, him!" Stella points with realization. "I think one little Jacob has a crush on our little Cal-bell."

"Nooooooo!" Cali cries as her mother puts her arms around her and kisses her curly head. "I don't like him! He's a meany and he takes Chilly, and mom's special cookies, and-"

"Alright, slow down, Cali." Nami says with tilted eyebrows, concerned her sister will explode.

"He's icky!"

They laugh at her juvenile word for the boy, and how damn cute it sounds. Nami clears her throat and smiles. "Okay, Cali, we won't talk about the icky boy anymore."

"As a matter of fact..." The all turn to Mac, who'd been silent through the whole conversation. He looks as though he's going to light somebody on fire and then bash their head in with the closest thing he can find, which in this case would be...Sid. "Neither of you need to be talking about boys like that."

"Mac." Stella says in a slightly chiding tone, but smiles sweetly and pecks his lips.

"Aw!" Lindsay bursts, not being able to contain it any longer. She'd remained silent for the boy-conversation, but this is just too cute.

"What?" Asks Stella.

"Nothing, Stell, it's just..." Lindsay looks down sheepishly and shrugs one shoulder. "You're all so cute together."

Stella and Mac look at each other and then down at where their left hands are linked. Their wedding rings are clinking together, and looking back up, they beam. "We-"

"You really are, and it's about time. Mac, Stella's liked you for, like, ever!" Jess puts in loudly.

Stella's floored by the blatancy and simply looks down as her face heats slightly.

"Don't' blush, Stell, Mac's liked you forever too."

"Jess, honey, maybe this isn't what we should be continuing the conversation with." Flack whispers into her ear beside her.

"Now are we going to have to set up Nami and Ray?" Asks Talia. She can't hep but laugh as both of their faces become the same vibrant red as a tomato. "Oh, how cute."

"Tali..." Nami mutters darkly as a warning while her face is still flushed.

"No one is setting up anyone." Mac says loudly and with a resolute finger in the air. "Especially not my daughters."

"Don't worry, sir, I'd never make a move on Nami, or anything." Ray says quickly, holding up his hands in defense.

"Are saying there's something wrong with her?" Stella asks with a joking tone, just to give the boy a hard time.

"What-no! There's nothing wrong with her-she's perfect!"

"Watch what you say, Raymond." Says Mac.

"I...argh! I just can't win with you Taylors!" He cries, leaning back too far in his chair and falling over onto the grass. After rolling backwards a few times he sighs. "I can never win with any of you!"

"Oh, we're just giving you a hard time, Ray." Stella says comfortingly. "Don't mind Mac."

"Oh, I can't wait until I have a little girl I can be overprotective with." Danny muses, shaking his head.

"Whoa, there, Cowboy!" Lindsay blushes.

"What? You want a boy?" He teases, earning a light arm punch.

"Look!" Cali points towards the dark sky filled with stars.

"Hello, Cassiopeia." Nami smiles. "C'mon Cal! Let's go look!"

"Kay!" Cali chirps, automatically reaching her arms out to be picked up and then looping them around her sister's neck.

"See, Cali? Those are constellations. They make pictures in the sky, and they're Greek, like you." Says Nami.

"Quarter Greek, quarter Italian, half Cajun."

"You mean Caucasian?"

"Yeah!"

"Then, that's right." Nami cooed, nuzzling the little girl's face with her nose. "You're so smart, Calla Lily!"

"Thank you." Cali says politely, impressing her sister further. "Always say please and thank you."

"That's my girl! High five!"

Ray shuffles his feet a little and looks toward Nami and Cali, debating internally whether or not he should join them or let them have their sister moment. He's not usually so...nervous around her, but seeing her outside of work is different. A chance for them to become closer as friends, rather than just people who work together. Friends. That's all.

"Nami, I'm seepy." Cali says into her shoulder.

"Oh, Cali-babe." Nami strokes the little girl's curls and rests her head against Cali's smaller one.

"Lullaby?"

"Okay, honey." Nami whispers as she sits on the grass and adjusts her baby sister in her arms. "Sh, sh, sh..."

_Starry, starry night_

_Paint your pallet blue and grey_

_Look out on a summer's day_

_With eyes that know the darkness in my soul_

Nami sings the song to Cali like she has before so many times. Her voice is quiet and gentle, soothing to the snoozing little girl.

"You're a natural, sweetie."

Nami stops singing and hums so she can hear her mother, who sits beside her and kisses Cali on the cheek.

"As a mother. Do you want to have kids someday?"

Nami just continues to hum and nods with a smile.

"Your daddy might not like that, but the key word is someday." Stella muses, thinking over again how overprotective Mac acts, but how it doesn't fit with his usually sensible self.

"I met her, here."

Stella turns to see Nami's face serious and solemn. "Who?"

"Selene."

Stella ignores the way Nami says CELL-e-nay, rather than Cell-EE-nah. She frowns and tilts her head. "As in my mother."

"Yes. I think I was dreaming, but it was so strange. I was on this hill, looking over this field," Nami says, pointing to each; halfway up the hill and half way down, where the flowers are still swaying. "Selene appeared, out of nowhere, and we started talking. She said that she wished she could've been with you, but that she would just have to settle on protecting you and your happiness from now on. She said that she couldn't let your family be torn apart before I woke in the hospital. She told me that she was glad she could meet me, as her granddaughter, and not to worry. I told her I wouldn't but I really didn't know why."

Stella remains silent for all of this, having a little trouble taking in what her daughter is telling her.

"She loved you, and she wanted you to be happy." Nami finishes, looking straight ahead with a wistful face and slightly squinted eyes. "As your mother, she only wanted you to be happy."

"And as your mother, I only want you to be happy."

Nami looks at her mother with slightly raised eyebrows, as if asking her to elaborate.

"At Saint Basil's I always dreamed of escaping and starting a new and better life for myself. I imagined a prince charming would take me away from it all. We'd get married and have a family, and promise we'd never leave each other. I was a hopeless romantic, still am, really, and I just wanted someone to love me more than anything or anyone." Stella explains, taking on the same slightly strained expression Nami had. "Now, I have all that, and I've never been happier."

"I understand." Nami says deeply.

"So, Selene; do I look like her?" Stella asks with a small smile.

Nami smiles as well, and looks at her with starry eyes. "You look exactly like her; regal and beautiful, but kind. When I saw her, she looked to be about in her mid-twenties. I've seen a picture of you when you were about twenty five, and you like _identical_. Carbon copies."

Stella's smile grows, thinking about the connection she has with her mother, even if Nami's dream really was just a dream and nothing more.

"I saw Amaryllis there too. I couldn't speak to her, but she was smiling." Nami says with little hesitation. They have all dealt with the guilt they once felt about all the lives lost in the incident, and have come to terms with them. Stella felt particularly guilty about Amaryllis' death.

"Thank you, Nami." Stella kisses her daughter's temple and looks up to see the stars shining brightly. Looking back, Nami is dozing off. She kisses her one last time and gets up to join her husband just a few feet away. Sitting down, he wraps his arms around her instinctively. "Nami said that she saw my mother when she was in the hospital."

Mac stays silent.

"No, I mean, she thinks she had a dream with her in it." He nods, encouraging her to continue. "She wasn't sure if it was a dream, or a subconscious thing, or what, but she's sure that my mother, Selene, was there. Amaryllis as well."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah. She told me that she'd said that...she'd loved me." Stella says with a faint smile and tears threatening to escape.

"Stella." Mac touches his forehead to hers and closes his eyes. "I'm happy for you."

"I know." She says simply, smiling at the contact. Breaking away she looks at him. "What about Nami's mother?"

"You're her mother." Mac says firmly.

"Mac." Stella says just as sternly. "She's going to want to know about her biological mother eventually."

"I don't think she is. I found some information on her biological mother, Akane, in Greece and asked her if she wanted to know."

Stella nodded, holding her breath.

"She said, no. She said that you're her mother, and nothing else matters." Mac says with a warm tone. "And she's right."

"I know." Stella whispers, kissing his lips and looking up.

"Aren't they cute?" Danny whispers to Lindsay jovially.

"Danny." Lindsay shakes her head and smiles at her fiancee.

"I'm glad we're all here today to do this."

She nods seriously, knowing he's not just talking about the date on everyone's calendar. When he'd proposed to her he'd said that the last time he thought he would lose her it had almost killed him, and that he didn't want to go through life without her by his side. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"I'm just glad you're here, Montana." He says lovingly, planting a kiss on her sandy blond hair. "Moo."

"Moo." She smiles widely.

"Hey, Jess, I-" Flack blinks, seeing his girlfriend asleep on the grass. He was about to ask her about marriage and if she thought it was right for them, but now his doubts are gone. Evven if only because she's not awake to hear them. "Never mind."

"Savashmemanem..." She garbles in her sleep. "Don...love you..."

"I love you too, Angell-babe." He kisses her rich chocolate hair and lies down with her, taking her hand in his.

Sid, Hawkes, Christine and Adam had left just after everyone finished their meals, having desperately needed to get back to the lab. They'd asked how the detectives had all managed to get the day off, but Stella had simply said that she'd called some friends, so they left it at that. Not only that, but Christine literally lived there, and Hawkes wanted to make sure she was back and rested.

Talia and her sisters have all fallen asleep, and she's pretty close to sleep herself. She's stayed awake solely because she doesn't like to fall asleep until she's certain her sisters are all safe and have all been asleep for at least ten minutes. Finding the circumstances acceptable, she closes her eyes, the last image she sees being the North Star.

Nami lies down with Cali safely in her arms and blinks slowly to relieve the ache in her eyes. She doesn't want to fall asleep just yet, but as her eyelids drift closed she relaxes a little.

_Starry, Starry night_

_The sun illuminates the yellows flowers, making them glow with a warm gold that's reminiscent to the morning light. _

_Nami stands on the hill again, waiting to see someone. _

"_I see you've come back." _

_Nami turns to see Selene standing there like before. "Yes." _

"_I am glad to see you, but why are you here, dear?" Selene asks in a soothing voice. _

"_I told my mother I met you here. She seemed happy." _

"_I see." _

"_But I'm not sure what happens now. I'm not even sure how I got here again." Nami says, gesturing with her arms. _

"_I'm not sure either, dear, but I do know that I told you not to worry. You said you wouldn't." Selene says with a humorous smile. _

"_Oh, I beg your pardon." Nami sits before her, tucking her legs underneath her and laying her hands on her knees. "I just...I feel lost. I don't know what's going to happen, but..." _

"_You're worrying again, Nami. You shouldn't concern yourself with these things. You should be enjoying yourself with your family. Now go, sweetheart, and tell your mother, again, that I love her." _

Nami's eyes snap open in an instant and her heart starts to slow down again. Looking to her right, Ray looks concerned. "Ray?"

"Are you alright? You just woke up all of a sudden." He says quietly, being mindful of Cali. "What? Was it a dream?"

_Morning fields of amber grain_

"Yeah, kind of, I guess." Nami frowns to herself but remembers what her grandmother said to her. She releases the tension she didn't know she'd had in her expression and smiles at Ray. "Thanks, for being here."

"Oh, sure." He says quickly, looking down shyly, like Adam Ross does sometimes."Are-are you okay?"

Nami looks at him, then at Cali and the rest of their family. "Yeah, I am. Just thinking about some things."

"Yeah." Ray's brain dares him to scootch a little closer to her, and she doesn't seem to mind or even take notice. He takes a deep breath and does what he never thought he'd do with a girl; talk about feelings and the future. His mother passed away when he was only a year old and his father had let him come to New York City to join the NYPD on his own, mostly because he'd never been all that caring about Ray. "You know, we've only been partners for about a month or two, but I think we're becoming good friends already. I do want to get to know you better, and be good partners and friends like your parents-just without the married with kids part. I..."

Nami is asleep, facing him, Cali still safe in her protective arms, and smiling.

He blinks. Well, so much for having a serious and awkward talk about their relationship. He tries not to, but thinks she looks so cute when she's asleep he smiles. Her black bangs are mussed and hanging around her eyes and it's then he realizes she really is not like them.

"Mm...dumpling...mango juice...favorite..." She licks her lips.

He smiles affectionately and brushes her cheek before closing his own eyes and drifting off to dreamland. He pays no mind to the fact that her father is probably glaring at the back of his head this second, or that he's not supposed to like his partner like this. Doesn't care. All he cares about is...her. Of coarse he wishes he knew how she feels, but she's out like a light!

They all slept soundly, under the stars, finding peace of mind in their constant light, perhaps.

Something in the starry night has always been a sign of hope, even for ages past. Something seems to guide the souls of the good people to a place where they can be at peace.

_On that starry, starry night_

Fin


End file.
